Neke Moa: No te Moananui-a-Kiwa—Stories from the Pacific

Neke Moa (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Porou, Kai Tahu, Tūwharetoa), is a contemporary jeweller who is well-known for her pounamu and shell carving skills.  Since 2016, she has been travelling to Fiji and Vava’u (Tonga) to teach shell craft.

Her workshops, which help locals work with natural resources and build their economy through the tourist market, are part of a wider initiative of the University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. This exhibition explores how Moa’s experiences of Te Moananui-a-Kiwa (Pacific Ocean) have influenced her practice.

Reflecting on her time away from Aotearoa, Moa says “we are all connected, us Pacific islanders, our ancestors are way finders—navigating the blue super highway for centuries—encountering each other and diversifying through trade, people and goods, materials and art. We share aspects of culture, language, cosmology, stories and experiences, including being colonised by Western invaders.”                                                                                                      

In the wake of the 250th anniversary of James Cook’s arrival in Aotearoa New Zealand, Moa considers these connections across Te Moananui-a-Kiwa with three new bodies of work called Kuki kai kai Kuki – Cook food eat Cook, Toto – Blood and Ko hai ho hingoa— What is your name?  

The Dowse Art Museum | 03 Aug – 10 Nov 2019