Dinosaur Goes to the Library!

Really proud to be part of this! Thank you, Mayor Weston Kirton, Councillor John Chapman, the Ruapehu Art Advisory Group, and the wonderful team at Taumarunui Library for this fantastic opportunity!

Kahu, New Zealand Harrier Hawk

    

 

Double Win at the Ruapehu Art Awards 2025: Metal Kārearea Sculpture!

Wow, so pleased! I just won the 3D and Premier Awards last night at the Ruapehu Art Awards with my metal Kārearea sculpture! I can't believe it, there are so many cool artworks there!

Thank you to the Ruapehu Art Awards team and friends for creating this awesome event, and especially to all the sponsors for helping make it happen and bringing all this incredible art together!

The show will be on daily from 10 am to 3 pm until the 30th of September. Please go check it out!

'Fossicked & Found AGAIN!'

Following the great success of our last exhibition, Raewyn and I are thrilled to announce a repeat event... Fossicked & Found AGAIN! Join us for another exciting showcase! Only 10 days to go!

Harold the Dragon

This project all started when I laid down a few exhaust pipes I’d just collected from the scrapyard. Playing around, I accidentally created a serpentine sort of flow, immediately realizing, "Dragon!" The next couple of hundred hours were spent putting it all together and filling it in—definitely easier said than done!

I loved working on the sheer scale of this piece. Being a mystical English dragon, there were no set rules for composition or proportion, which allowed for a lot of creative freedom during the build.

The wings came out really nicely, too. I was inspired by a recent Taumarunui quilters and weavers exhibition where their patchwork quilts were amazing. It just clicked with me to create Harold's wings in a similar patchwork style. The patterns of the different metal meshes complement each other, creating a lightweight, semi-transparent look that contrasts nicely with the strong, industrial flow of his body.

The golf ball eyes finished him off perfectly! There's a calm tranquility to Harold's character—he's definitely a friendly English dragon for sure.

Big Win at the Waimarino Art Awards 2024: Clarence Takes Supreme!

I'm very pleased to announce that my new junk goat, Clarence, won the Supreme Art Award at this year's Waimarino Art Awards in Raetihi! On top of that, I also won the 3D division with my abstract piece titled 'Pioneering Dream'.

Great news, and a huge well done to Annie Stone for doing a marvellous job coordinating the whole event.

Thank you to the three judges, it was great hearing your kōrero—and a big thank you to Ngāti Rangi for their generous sponsorship towards the supreme prize. Thanks heaps! 😊

Incoming Exhibition... 'Fossicked & Found' at Taumarunui's Art Centre (2024)

Exciting news! I've built up a collection of scrap metal artworks and will be putting on a local exhibition alongside super-talented artist Raewyn Porritt, titled 'Fossicked & Found'!

Not long to go, the exhibition will run from the end of July through to early August. Feel free to share the news and come along!

Thanks heaps, and hope to see you all there! I'm REALLY looking forward to it! 😊

 

Meet Terence, the junk metal goat!

This has been a really cool project to work on. I really like goats, so putting this one together was great fun. Lawn mower blades, old gate hinges, and long bent steel rods all come together to give Terence his own unique character.

Terence is big and heavy, just like a real goat, so making him structurally strong was an important part of the build.

One of the things I'm really enjoying about welding is how certain pieces of scrap seem to jump out at me, almost like magic. I don't have to overthink every detail; the right pieces just seem to reveal themselves as I go along.

The horns took quite a bit of precision. I made them from No. 8 wire, carefully forming a long spiral before creating a second one to mirror the first, which was pretty tricky!

I'm really pleased with how Terence turned out. It was another awesome project to work on. Thanks, Terence!

 

'Junk Cat' – My First Scrap Metal Sculpture

Best decision ever! Just bought a new MIG welder—huge thanks to Mitre 10 Taumarunui!

I just finished this piece titled 'Junk Cat', built from an assortment of discarded steel and whatever interesting scrap I could find. Unlike my usual carvings, this sculpture isn't about precision, it's all about character, humour, and spontaneous fun!

The freedom welding gives me is addictive. Instead of carving material away, I can collect forgotten objects and give them a completely new purpose. Every rusty piece suggests another idea, and every weld opens up new possibilities, layer upon layer.

Junk Cat might be a bit cheeky, but I think I've found another medium I truly love. Can't wait to make whatever's next!

 

Pterodactyl - My First Welded Sculpture (2023)

After many years of carving timber, I'd been thinking about giving welding a go. So I borrowed a friend's MIG welder and decided to experiment with a simple idea: an NZ Pterodactyl drawn in mid-air using nothing more than No. 8 wire and a wooden base.

The realisation that I wasn't carving material away, but instead building it up, hit me straight away! I found myself drawing in three dimensions, bending and welding each line into place. I could even undo sections to get the size and proportions just right. It was completely different from carving, and I loved it immediately (apart from the smell, haha!). I was also able to use my familiar angle grinders, which made the transition feel surprisingly natural.

This little sculpture isn't about perfection. It's about discovering a new medium, and I can't wait to see where it takes me!

 

Unity Project Unveiling: Waharoa at Te Awanui a Rua

    

We unveiled our Unity Project carving this afternoon, wahoo! The waharoa is situated at the Te Awanui a Rua Trust headquarters in Taumarunui.

A big thank you to our rangatahi carvers—Jahdah, Hone, and Rangi—it was so much fun carving this project with you all! Also, a mighty thanks to Anahera, Whaea Jackie, and Matua Hokio for your massive support.

'Unity Project' Waharoa at Te Awanui a Rua Trust

                     

Here is my scaled plan for my upcoming Unity project. I'll be teaching a group of local rangatahi the carving and painting techniques involved as we construct the project. It's all about sharing the craft and passing on knowledge!

I'll carve the central koruru, representing Rangi and Papa, from Tōtara, while every other component will be crafted from treated pine, applying skills learnt from my previous waharoa.

I'm really looking forward to seeing this project come to life!

Giant Tōtara carved 1935 Crown Coin Commission

Something a little different!

This unique commission was inspired by New Zealand's famous 1935 Waitangi Crown (5 shillings), widely regarded as one of the country's most iconic and collectible coins.

When I was first commissioned to carve it, my first thought was, "How am I going to do that?" Months later, after countless hours of carving and refining every detail, my plan came together.

Medium: Hand-carved from a single piece of native Tōtara, mounted on a steel rod with a native black Maire wooden base.

Dimensions: 650 mm diameter, 100 mm depth

 

Central Kids Kindergarten Waharoa, Taumarunui

Very proud to have carved and erected this special gateway for Central Kids Kindergarten Taumarunui.

It was a fun creative journey. This was my first time carving tanalised pine and constructing each section out of multiple pieces to create the overall form, and it worked out really well!

The kōwhaiwhai design depicts the kindy's waiata, 'Anei te Moemoeā', representing the children's transformation through the centre.

A big thanks to everyone involved: Kaumātua Huitao, Kim Jones, the Central Kids staff, Mitre 10, and Creative Communities Scheme for their funding.

First Place at the Ruapehu Art Awards: 'Space Cat'

Makayla and I are super proud to have taken first place in the 3D category at this year's Ruapehu Art Awards!

This year, I decided to create a concrete, three-dimensional version of one of her amazing drawings entitled 'Space Cat', definitely a tricky task to pull off!

It was a wonderful opening night with so many brilliant artworks on display. Be sure to drop by and check it out at the Twin River Gallery, Taumarunui!

'Tāne Nui-a-Rangi' Hei Tiki

 

A special commission and one of my most intricate carvings.

Created as a graduation gift from proud parents for their daughter, I carved this ‘Tāne Nui-a-Rangi’ Hei Tiki in the style of Ngāti Ruanui lineage.

Extreme detail and precision were required, the delicate spiral work on the arms measures approximately 10 mm in diameter, and the detailed eyes with pupils measure only 3 mm across!

Medium: Deer antler, native Mataī wood, pāua shell inlays

Dimensions: 72 mm in length

LED Manu Aute Project, Matariki (2018 - ongoing)

Lift off! The LED Manu Aute are finally flying!

This project is all about pushing whakairo to the next level. The light gives each Manu Aute that spiritual ignition to take off, bringing the designs to life once darkness falls.
Each Manu Aute (traditional Māori kite) was built with two layers, concealing two 5-metre lengths of independently controlled LED ribbon between them. Hidden from the front, the lighting illuminates the whakairo kōrero from behind.

What makes the installation even more magical is that every kite cycles through its own colours independently, creating an ever-changing display of light and movement. I could stand and watch them for hours!

A huge thank you to the people of Taumarunui, Te Waka Pū Whenua Trust for making this project possible, and the Ruapehu Community Arts Centre for allowing the installation on their beautiful building to become part of the Matariki celebrations.
Matariki is a time of reflection, renewal, and looking ahead. I'm proud to have played a small part in bringing a little more light to our community!

Pātaka: Te Rauhuaki Ao

    

Super proud today unveiling the Pātaka over at Ngā Hau e Whā Māra Kai, Taumarunui.

A massive thanks to the kaumātua and everyone who attended the dawn ceremony, as well as Pip, Pal, and the rest of the Ngā Hau e Whā team! Also, a huge thank you to Creative NZ for the funding.

This Pātaka is a fully functional food storage house and heritage seed bank for the gardens—tūturu Māori style. Such a privilege to carve the front of it!

 

LED Manu Aute Project, Matariki (2018) – The Process

                        

From the first concept drawings to the final build, this project was another big journey. I cut every piece by hand from ACM sheet and plywood using a jigsaw before assembling the three multi-layered Manu Aute together.

It was a very challenging build, requiring plenty of planning, new skills, creativity, and problem-solving along the way. Thankfully, my family jumped in to lend a hand!

Seeing the vision gradually come together piece by piece was awesome. Now it is time to bring them to life with light!

LED Manu Aute Project, Matariki (2018) – The Plan

             

It was a real privilege to once again work alongside Te Waka Pū Whenua Trust after the success of the previous year's Matariki light installation. This time, I was invited to develop the concept for something even more ambitious.


The vision was to create three futuristic illuminated Manu Aute (traditional Māori kites), combining contemporary lighting with Māori design and storytelling.

Each Manu Aute would represent one of the three fundamental states of existence within Mātauranga Māori: Te Ao, Te Pō, and Te Kore—concepts that speak to the journey of existence and the origins of all things.

These concept drawings became the blueprint for the project, with every pattern and symbol carefully considered before construction began. They marked the first step towards bringing this unique Matariki installation to life.

Sometimes every great project begins with a simple drawing. This was one of those moments!

Taumarunui Native Bird Trail (2018–2024)

                    

It was an honour to work alongside Karen Ngatai and the Taumarunui Revitalisation Taskforce to create a trail of eleven native bird carvings through the historic Manson Gardens in the heart of Taumarunui.

With the support of eleven generous local sponsors, each bird found a permanent home within the gardens. Carved from a variety of beautiful native timbers, the project became a true labour of love that evolved over several years, with plenty of challenges and memorable moments along the way.

Each sculpture was carefully positioned to complement the character of the gardens, creating a trail that encourages visitors to slow down, explore, and discover some of New Zealand's remarkable native birdlife. Subtle lighting was later added so the carvings could continue to be enjoyed after dark.

Creating this project for my hometown has been one of the greatest privileges of my artistic journey. Seeing families, visitors and locals stop to admire the birds, take photographs and enjoy the gardens has made every hour worthwhile.

Looking back, this project reminded me that public art has the power to become part of a community's story.

‘Rongo’ Manu Pākau (bird-wing kite)

 

Creation of kites and kite flying was a great old-time Māori practice. Kites came in many types of design and were used for all sorts of purposes from general fun and games to more serious uses such as spiritual ceremonies amongst tohunga (priests). 

My own fascination with flight along with my passion towards whakairo led me to carve this particular ‘manu pākau’ representing Rongo, atua of peaceful pursuits. 

I decorated the aerofoil wing in a stepped on/off ‘poutama’ design representing the steps/levels towards Ranginui (Sky-Father), within these steps are painted kōwhaiwhai patterns representing the winds. The word ‘Manu’ means both bird and kite. Manu are seen as intermediaries between spiritual and physical realms.

Medium: Tōtara and Mataī wood, pāua shell inlays, hemp binding, feathers and paint

Dimensions: 1.2 metre wingspan 

'Tiki Auaha'

This Tiki is a symbol of life and fertility, its name is ‘Tiki Auaha’ which signifies creation, the creator. The abstract paint design challenges the viewer's imagination with notions of terrestrial landscapes, auroral light, and nebula imagery passing all into one. 

This piece later won 1st place in the 3D section of the 'Ruapehu Art Awards', October 2017.

Medium: Plywood, Steel plate, custom paint, feathers, computer hard-drives, LED ribbon

Mr Steele's Ruru Carving, Kaitieke (2017)

In September 2017, I was commissioned by local legend Richard Steele to create a 4.5-metre Ruru carving for his family property at Kaitieke, just south of Taumarunui. Carved from a huge, rugged Rimu log, this was the largest commissioned carving I had undertaken to date. Working on a log of this size meant thinking beyond carving alone.

I had to build a large tripod with a block and chain system, allowing me to carefully rotate the heavy timber as the sculpture gradually took shape. There was plenty of problem-solving along the way with this piece, and it really brought out the chainsaw carver in me!

The finished piece features a Ruru perched above a sweeping koru, a design holding deep personal meaning for Richard and his family, standing tall amidst the native landscape of Kaitieke.


The unveiling was a day I'll never forget. Family, friends, locals and visitors gathered around the completed sculpture, and seeing everyone standing beneath it was an incredible moment. Watching Richard look up at the finished Ruru with such pride made every hour of work worthwhile.


Looking back, this commission gave me the confidence to keep saying yes to bigger ideas!

Matariki Tiki Project, Taumarunui 2017

Matariki Illuminated Tiki, Taumarunui (2017)

In 2017, Te Waka Pū Whenua Trust approached me to create a series of large illuminated Tiki for their Matariki celebrations. Inspired by the light festivals beginning to appear around New Zealand at the time, I wanted to create something that would bring people together during the longest nights of the year around the Solstice.

Drawing on my background in whakairo, I designed and hand-cut seven large Tiki from plywood. Each sculpture featured a layered design, hiding five metres of colour changing RGB LED lighting that slowly flowed through a beautiful spectrum of colours once darkness fell.

Designing the project was a challenge in itself. Every plywood sheet was carefully planned to maximise the material and minimise waste, combining creativity, craftsmanship and plenty of problem-solving! My children even helped paint the Tiki, making the project even more special.

Installed on the lawn outside the Ruapehu Community Arts Centre in Taumarunui for two weeks, the illuminated trail quickly became a gathering place for families and visitors on cold winter evenings.

It was a real privilege to work alongside Te Waka Pū Whenua Trust on this project. Looking back, it reminded me that art isn't just about creating objects, it's about creating experiences that bring people together. This was a really cool project to do!

Kuratau Entranceway Upgrade 2017

The entranceway is a metaphor for the transformation of the children that pass through the school.

On the left side, we have the nesting Tūī, to represent the children that first enter the school. They are being nurtured, educated and looked after all snug in their nest.

On the right side, we have the mighty Kāhu, positioned in an energetic posture about to leap up off into the sunset, ready for lift-off! Representing the stronger educated more confident children as they leave the school.

The kōwhaiwhai used is called ‘Mangōpare’ (hammerhead shark), to represent strong spirit and determination. These life symbols are painted in white to represent the realm of Te Ao, the realm of light, Te Ao Mārama.

The black colour used coming up from the ground represents the realm of Te Kore (the potential, the void), whereas the transition into red, as if it’s  glowing, represents Te Whai-ao, the glimmer at dawn and reminds us of the separation of Rangi and Papa.

Throughout the day, the sun (te Rā) passes over the gateway from the Tūī side, up and over, and back down to the side of the Kāhu, another metaphor for the children’s journey of learning each day.

'Te Kete Tuauri' Carved Tahā (Embellished and carved Māori Gourd)

This Tahā is a representation of Te Kete Tuauri—the basket of spiritual connection, unseen ritual, sacred memory, karakia (prayers), and the cosmic order.

Medium: Hand-carved hue (NZ gourd) with wood supports, pāua shell inlays, stainless steel rod, hemp binding, feathers, paint and oil

Dimensions: 450mm x 350mm x 350mm

'Rua te Ruru' Tekoteko

There are many fascinating personifications of knowledge through Māori perspective. This tekoteko is a representation of Rua te Ruru, wisdom of the owl.

The Ruru (native New Zealand owl) is a kaitiaki of Te Pō, that is to say, guardian of the night, the unseen energies, realm of the departed.

The Ruru is a nocturnal bird, hunting at night in the thick dense forests of Tāne.

I made the carving from an old totara fence post from Taumarunui. I have left the base of the carving natural, whilst the carving itself has a Danish oil finish.

Medium: Heart Mountain Tōtara, Paua shell, Danish oil

Dimensions: 860mm x 160mm x 160mm

24 Spirals in Motion!

An exploration of continuous transformation, energy, and rhythm! This GIF animation brings together 24 individually hand-carved and hand-painted spirals from my work, pulsing through rapid change. The repetition of the double spiral form, traditionally signifying new life, growth, and creation—creates a mesmerizing visual vortex where traditional carving techniques meet optical illusion.

Medium: Hand-carved native timber, Hue (NZ gourd), custom paint, and animated loop

Tribute to Tāne Painting

The central motivation of this piece is the hexagon and pentagon. The hexagon represents macrocosm, everything larger than ourselves, whilst the pentagon represents microcosm, the smaller scale down to the minute. Six is the number of structure whilst five represents life.

I carefully duplicated the dimensions of the areas in between the two shapes, and rotated them into position (shown in white) forming a crafty composition of the classic Māori ‘Wheku’ design in a most striking and simplified manner.

The ‘Wheku’ design not only displays a face, but expresses the foundation of our reality ‘Te Ao Mārama’ through mnemonics subtly presenting the great feats of Tāne-nui-ā-Rangi who brought light and knowledge into our realm.

I view Atua Māori as inter-dimensional energies macrocosmically beyond, yet microcosmically integrated within us through our spiritual and astral bodies. This system shows how consciousness is within oneself yet simultaneously throughout the universe all at the same moment.

Medium: Acrylic on canvas, with a carved native Tōtara frame

Dimensions: 1m x 1m

'Night and Day Project 2015'

This carving presents the cyclic nature of life. The figure represents Tāne but with Pūriri moth (NZ Ghost Moth) connotations suggesting a life and death scenario.

 
Tāne is associated with life-force, he thrust his parents Rangi and Papa apart with his legs so all life could dwell in-between. He created man and flew to the heavens receiving all knowledge for mankind; this I have represented by the knowledge transfer symbol in the 3rd eye area. He also represents the forest and all life within including birds and insects.

 
Meanwhile the Pūriri moth is associated with death; these moths are attracted to the Pūriri tree, which were often tapu through their use as a burial site. Traditionally an infusion of the leaves was used to wash the body of the deceased for preservation purposes.

The Pūriri caterpillars (Mokoroa) would eventually kill the trees, but the birds in turn would feed on them, and so the cyclic nature of life continues...

Medium: Carved from Oak wood with pāua shell inlays, wood stain and paint

Dimensions: 650mm high