Te Mokowhiti o te Taniwha, 2025 (blue)
Te Mokowhiti o te Taniwha, 2025 (green)
This artwork is inspired by the curving form of a taniwha emerging from a lake. Down south, Kāi Tahu tell a story — albeit quite a sinister story — of a taniwha in Lake Wakatipu. It’s a story I grew up hearing as we drove through the area, and it is a story I am inspired by for this piece.
According to the story, a great taniwha once lived — and died — in the lake, its massive S-shaped body scarring the land and curving around the glaciers and mountains. Yet its heartbeat and breath still echo through the deepest and coldest lake in Aotearoa. You can still see the lake rise and fall over time, as if responding to the taniwha’s slow, rhythmic breath. In this work, I wanted to reference that deep, steady breath as a symbol of the ongoing heartbeat that keeps this kaupapa alive, guiding it forward and giving it life. It represents the pulse of action that comes from those before us and moves toward those yet to come.
The taniwha itself is reflective of a kaitiaki — a guardian, a protector of people and the land, and of leadership. Woven into the taniwha’s form are patterns of pūhoro, accentuating its long, endless body and reflecting a journey that is fluid, winding, and full of hope.
In the background, a tukutuku-inspired panel reflects in the lake. This tukutuku is made up of niho taniwha and poutama patterns. The niho taniwha (the teeth of the taniwha) refer directly to the plan and model used at PGF. The poutama, symbolising the pursuit of knowledge and growth, represents the ongoing climb toward understanding and our destination, drawing on the wisdom of the past (and people who have and will be with us) as
we journey together into the future.
we journey together into the future.