WĀHINE TOI

Ākina sits above a body of water. The Makirikiri stream flows beneath our feet, from its source in the Ruahines through the heartland of Hastings. A century ago town planners sent its waters underground, diverted under the surface to make way for bricks and mortar, asphalt thoroughfares to accelerate the speed of progress. The stream was largely forgotten by the bustling feet unknowingly walking over its path. At Takapau, Māori land leased by the crown was abused as a municipal dumping site, inflicting significant damage. But restoration is taking place. Upstream the land and waters are being cared for by council in partnership with iwi. Here in Hastings, the stream is honoured and acknowledged in the new building’s design.

Putaanga Waitoa’s kaupapa and process in producing Wāhine Toi, a book celebrating female creativity in Te Matau-a-Māui, can be seen as analogous to the story of this stream. She takes as her subjects thirty female artists across a broad range of disciplines. Rather than seeking out the most famous faces and names from the Bay’s creatives, she chose to shine a light on those not always in the spotlight, those whose work has been diverted, driven underground to make way for the status quo.

Though some of her subjects were friends, many were at first strangers to her. Through having the sorts of robust conversations that will change the world, she discovered a web of unsung creativity beneath the surface of Te Matau-a-Māui. Then she trained her expert lens on these wāhine, often visiting them in their creative and domestic spaces, opening a window into their worlds.

Wāhine Toi’s imagery displays Putaanga’s exquisite eye at its finest. She really sees her subjects, capturing their essence within their image. That she is able to imbue her portraits with a confluence of both mana and vulnerability is testimony to her ability to make connections, to tell stories by showing.