Wāhine, a multi-media arts exhibition amplifying Māori women’s voices around Aotearoa

Weaving together intimate sound stories and powerful portrait photography, Wāhine is an immersive multi-media arts exhibition that amplifies Māori women’s voices around Aotearoa.

Wāhine offers communities an opportunity to come together, to be enriched and inspired by these raw, honest and vulnerable stories – stories that touch on the joys and inspirations, the troubles and tribulations, and the resilience that has moulded these wāhine into the women they are.

The deeply personal words of each interview are woven together from real-life recordings captured by the women themselves and accompanied by portraits taken at each woman’s home, marae, or their chosen location.

As it travels around Aotearoa, Wāhine expands at each new location, inviting a wāhine from a local iwi to join the kaupapa and hold space for the other women. Here in Kirikiriroa Hamilton, Te Rita Papesch (Waikato-Maniapoto, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Whakaue, Czech) is joining the kaupapa.

“I’m proud that as a Māori woman, everything I’ve done, I have also enjoyed. It’s been hard, it’s been a struggle, but it’s been so much fun. And again, I know I am filling up the pot that will be left for my descendants.” Te Rita Papesch.

“This is one of the very few exhibitions that you experience within a lifetime that has the ability to entirely change your life” – Dr. Jay van der Reijden, PhD Archeology

Open to the public from Saturday 12 November – Sunday 11 December during Library open hours*

Mon to Friday*: 9.30am – 5.30pm
*Thursday 9.30am – 8pm
Saturday and Sunday: 9.30am – 5pm.

16+; Trigger warning required

FREE EXHIBITION