Open Day: Kiingi Tūheitia Portraiture Award: Exhibition tour and Oral Histories of Ngāti Te Whiti

10:30AM - Kiingi Tūheitia Portraiture Award Exhibition Guided Tour with Natasha McKinney  

Join Puke Ariki Pictorial Curator, Natasha McKinney, for a guided tour of the Kiingi Tūheitia Portraiture Award Exhibition. Natasha will lead visitors through the exhibition, offering insight into selected works, the artists behind them, and the kaupapa of the Award.  

Bio 

Natasha McKinney is the Pictorial Curator at Puke Ariki, and works with the photographic and art collections.  Her favourite part of curating is bringing lesser-known histories to the fore in visually interesting ways.  She curated Puke Ariki’s ‘Home Work’ exhibition of Taranaki art in 2024. 
 

11.30AM - TĀHUHU KŌRERO: Te Tumu – Oral Histories of Ngāti Te Whiti  

Join Cilla Harnett for a talk exploring her work, TĀHUHU KŌRERO: Te Tumu – Oral Histories of Ngāti Te Whiti, a multi-phased kaupapa to record and safeguard the voices of our people.  

This exhibition of oral histories, video, and imagery speaks to identity, endurance, and renewal. As mana whenua, Ngāti Te Whiti have lived without a marae for more than 150 years due to land loss and industrial development. Today, the kaupapa looks forward — toward the rebuilding of a new marae at Ngāmotu Beach. 

Bio 

Cilla Harnett is a producer, artist, and researcher of Te Ātiawa i Taranaki, Ngāti Te Whiti hapū, Te Ātiawa Te Tau Ihu, Taranaki Tūturu, Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Tama, and Ngāti Toarangatira descent. With over 20 years’ experience in international film production, she now focuses on telling Indigenous stories for Māori, by Māori. Cilla is developing an oral histories project reconnecting Ngāti Te Whiti with their histories and tūpuna, laying foundations for future generations. 

Caption:  Taniwha Chasers (2024) 

Jazmin Tainui Mihi Paget-Knebel (Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Whakatohea, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine)