Matairangi Mahi Toi
Established by Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae, the honour of this sovereign residency is deeply valued and acknowledged. It is marked with mana and distinction as it supports the development of visual art and creative practice.
2017 resident Lindah Lepou with Dame Patsy Reddy and Sir David Gascoigne
Lindah Lepou's work shown at the Government House Ballroom, 2017.
The Pacific Mamas are the recipients of the 2019 Matairangi Mahi Toi Pasifika artist in residence.
Read the news about their welcome to Government House in October 2019
The Pacific Mamas with Dame Patsy Reddy
Horomona Horo, tohunga taonga pūoro and 2018 resident
The residency was created by Toi Rauwhārangi in partnership with the office of the Governor General, to support the development of Māori and Pasifika visual arts and creative practices. There are up to three residencies per year.
Artists can live and work in a house in the grounds of Government House.
This residency aims to:
- Build and strengthen the relationship between tangata whenua and Toi Rauwhārangi.
- Develop strategic plans for creative research excellence and academic leadership for Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand.
- Generate cultural pathways for and between Massey University and Toi Rauwhārangi.
Matairangi Mahi Toi residents
2023—Theia
2020—Troy Kingi
2019—The Pacific Mamas
2018—Horomona Horo
2018—Rosanna Raymond
2017—Lindah Lepou
2016—Ross Hemera
The name for the residency was gifted to Toi Rauwhārangi and Government House by Professor Ross Hemera.
Matairangi
Matairangi is a prominent peak in Wellington with an expansive vista of the city and surrounding countryside. It has a rich heritage and history connected to the formation mythologies of Te Whanganui a Tara, Queen Victoria in the 1840s and, by 1910, Government House. Matairangi also refers to a hilltop lookout and vantage point.
Mahi Toi
The creative practice and artistic skills of the artist are pursued in the name of excellence. The vision of the artist is an expression of human dignity for us all to wonder and enjoy.
An Oamaru stone sculpture, carved by the inaugural recipient of the residency, retired Professor Ross Hemera, and celebrating his Ngāi Tahu and South Island whakapapa, was unveiled in 2016.
Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae, far left; Chancellor Chris Kelly; Professor Ross Hemera; and Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor of the College of Creative Arts, Professor Tony Parker.