Waikato Rocks

Ko Kohukohunui te maunga
Ko Whakatiwai te awa
Ko Tikapa moana
Ko Takitimu te waka
Ko Ngati Kahungunu te Iwi

My Pepeha speaks of the mountain range in the Hunua Ranges, the Whakatiwai Stream that meanders out of the bush into Tikapa Moana in the Firth of Thames. This is not my Turangawaewae, which is actually in Mahia Peninsula, East Coast. But my dad joined the urban drift of Maori in the 1950s, so I grew up displaced from Maori culture and identity.

I live in Whakatiwai, Hauraki District, North Waikato. Following in the footsteps of my dad Samuel Runga I began carving in 2010. My creative career started in the art department of a professional photographic processing lab in the 1990s. Later I went on to study for a level 5 diploma in Visual Arts from the Manukau School of Visual Arts in 2008.

Nurturing the next generation of carvers is essential to me. Last year I ran workshops for a local kapa haka group of year 7 and 8 boys. I am looking to blend traditional Māori art with modern technology by exploring online avenues of showcasing my work and passing on skills to those interested, including live-streaming carving sessions and timelapse photography.