Te Ara Minhinnick

Te Ara Minhinnick resides in Waiuku on the southwestern banks of Taamaki, between three significant waterways: Te Awa o Waikato, Te Maanukanuka o Hoturoa, and Te Tai o Rehua. Following the shorelines of these waterways, Te Ara collects uku, whenua, and onepuu. In this process, she draws upon the material whakapapa of whenua to unearth the ancestral presence of her Iwi, Ngaati Te Ata. Her practice is centered on re-representing whenua as a site of evidence, a source of memory, and a place of obligation for all.

Growing up under the framework of ‘akona maa te wai’ — ‘learning through the medium of water’ — Te Ara applies observations from the Taiao to her art, with a focus on placemaking through the wayfinding vessels of whenua, one, and wai.