Kura Te Waru-Rewiri

Kura Te Waru-Rewiri (Ngapuhi, Ngati Kahu, Ngati Rangi, Ngati Kauwhata) studied fine art at Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury. After graduating she studied at teachers' college and then taught art in schools, tertiary institutions, universities and whare wananga. She was a founding member, in 1987, of the Te Atinga Committee Toi Maori. In 1993 she and Selwyn Murupaenga were the first Maori appointments to the Elam School of Fine Arts. Kura moved from Elam to teach on the...See more

Kura Te Waru-Rewiri (Ngapuhi, Ngati Kahu, Ngati Rangi, Ngati Kauwhata) studied fine art at Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury. After graduating she studied at teachers' college and then taught art in schools, tertiary institutions, universities and whare wananga. She was a founding member, in 1987, of the Te Atinga Committee Toi Maori. In 1993 she and Selwyn Murupaenga were the first Maori appointments to the Elam School of Fine Arts. Kura moved from Elam to teach on the Toioho ki Apiti Bachelor of Maori Visual Arts programme in 1996 and taught there until 2006. In 2015 she led, and was a major artist contributor to, the refurbishment of the Northland Polytechnic marae whare Te Puna o Te Matauranga, making her one of the only wahine Maori to lead a whare project. In 2017 she returned to Papaioea as programme lead at Toioho ki Apiti. Kura's work is held in collections in both Aotearoa New Zealand and overseas and she has been a key contributor to contemporary Maori exhibitions both in New Zealand and abroad. In 2019 she was recognised with the Te Waka Toi award Te Papa Tongarewa Rongomaraeroa for an outstanding contribution to nga toi Maori. Kura's focus is also on supporting marae, hapu and iwi toi developments for Ngapuhi and Te Tai Tokerau artists. She is the chair of the Mangaiti marae trust, and a board member of Te Runanga o Whaingaroa. She is also director of Toi Ngapuhi. See less