Ngaroma Riley (Te Rarawa, Te Aupouri)

 

Grateful that her grandmother taught her to weave taniko and sew at a young age, Ngaroma has been a compulsive maker and general haututu ever since.

 

One obsession that has never left her, is her love of whakairo. Unable to find anywhere to study it in Aotearoa, she began her carving journey in Japan making buddhist statues.

 

Since returning to NZ in 2020 she has completed a certificate of whakairo at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, and is excited to be part of the Toi Māori Aotearoa Whakakai Mentoring Programme, a cohort of wahine Māori artists working in three-dimensions. She has recently completed a whatarangi/storehouse as part of a larger team who created a tomokanga installed at Kaitaia, near her papa kainga.