Kia Ora Whaea

"Kia ora" is not just a greeting, an acknowledgment of someone's presence, a hello, or a thank you. More deeply, it acknowledges one's well-being and, through that, their mana and the tapu that surrounds them. "Kia ora" – "be well" – is a way to say, "I celebrate you."

Kia Ora Whaea is an expression of affection for the women who carry our pasts and futures, an affirmation of the vital role mothers play in the hauora (complete wellness) of us all, and a recognition of the myriad inherent challenges of motherhood. This exhibition will explore maternal mental health from a Māori perspective, the effects of colonialism on indigenous ideas of maternity, the ways in which we assume the maternal mantle, and the position of whāea in domestic, intimate, and private spaces.

This exhibition is an extension of the kōrero begun at Blue Oyster Project Space in 2022 and continued at The Centre of Contemporary Art Toi Moroki (CoCA) earlier this year.