E koa ana a Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Art Gallery ki te whakapaoho atu i te tohutia o Joe Pihema (Ngāti Whātua) ki te tūranga mātāmua e kīia nei ko te Poumatua (Head of Kaupapa Māori).
Hei Poumatua, ka riro i a Pihema te haepapa whakawhanake i tō te whare toi takohanga ki te tautoko, ki te whakatairanga i ngā toi Māori, ki te hāpai ake i ngā tikanga me te mātauranga Māori, ki te whakakaha hoki i te mahinga tahitanga o te kaupapa Māori ki ngā hoa me ngā hapori.
He pūkōrero ā-iwi a Joe Pihema (Ngāti Whātua), he mātanga reo, he rangatira hoki nō roto i a Ngāti Whātua. Neke atu i te 25 tau ōna I roto i ngā mahi toi, ngā mahi ahurea, kōrero tuku iho, i roto hoki i te mātauranga kuranga me te ao pāpāoho Māori.
Hei tā te kaitohu Tātaki Auckland Unlimited o Toi o Tāmaki a Kirsten Lacy, e tika ana a Joe mō tēnei tūranga.
“E hiamo ana mātou ki te pōhiri i a Joe Pihema ki kāhui kaiarataki o te whare toi. He mea nui ōna pūkenga, tōna aratakitanga hoki i roto i ao ahurea hei tārai i te anga whakamuatanga e whakahaumakotia ai ō mātou mahi tahi ki ngā hapori Māori.”
Nō te whakatūranga o te tūranga ‘head of kaupapa Māori’ i te tau 2021, kua tino whanake te taha ahurea. Ko ētahi mea hirahira, ko te nui haere o te whakamahia o te reo Māori, o ōna tikanga, me te māramatanga o roto i te whare toi me tupu o te ahurea Māori i waenganui i ngā kaimahi.”
“E whakataretare ana ahau ki te mahi tahi ki a Joe ki te whakawhanake i tēnei neke whakamuatanga pai kia puta ai he hua ki ngā putanga Māori,” te kī a Lacy. Hei tā Joe, e harikoa ana ia i te piringa ōna ki te kāhui.
“Ko te pana o nō nā noa nei o roto i te tōpūtanga ki te tautoko, ki te whakatakoto i te hōhonutanga o ngā kaupapa Māori, he mea whakaihiihi. Ko tāku e tūmanako nei, he tuku i te aronga nui ki te whakanuitanga me te whanaketanga o te ahurea, nā, ā tōna wā, ka māori noa i roto i te wairua o te manaakitanga.”
“Ko tō mātou hiahia, kia nui ake tā mātou manaaki i te hapori Māori anō nei he whānau. E tirohia kētia ana e mātou te huhua āheinga mō ngā marama 18 kei mua i te aroaro, ā, ko te whakakaha i te hononga ki ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori, ngā Wharekura, ngā ringatoi Māori me ngā tangata whenua,” Te kī a Pihema.
Ko ō Joe tūranga o mua, ko te tū hei kaitohutohu kohinga tuarua (Deputy Director of Collections) i te whare taonga o Tairāwhiti, i noho hei mema ki Te Papa National Services Bicultural Committee, i noho hoki hei mema ki te poari matua o Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei me te poari o Tupuna Maunga o Tāmaki Makaurau Authority. Waihoki, he mema ia i te wā nei nō te Taumata ā-Iwi o Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum.
I tīmata a Joe Pihema ki tōna tūranga hei Poumatua ki te whare toi i te Hakihea, 2023. I whai wāhi a Joe Pihema ki te punua pāoho o Toi o Tāmaki e kīia nei ko ‘Cultured Conversations’. Toro mai ki kōnei.
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is pleased to announce the appointment of Joe Pihema (Ngāti Whātua) to the senior leadership position of Poumatua (Head of Kaupapa Māori).
As Poumatua, Pihema will be responsible for progressing the Gallery’s commitment to supporting and promoting toi Māori, uplifting tikanga practices and māutauranga Māori, and enhancing engagement with Kaupapa Māori partners and communities.
Joe Pihema (Ngāti Whātua) is a tribal historian, Te Reo expert and senior tikanga advisor to Ngāti Whātua. He has over 25 years of experience in the arts, cultural and heritage sector, as well as Māori education and Māori broadcasting.
Tātaki Auckland Unlimited Director of Auckland Art Gallery, Kirsten Lacy says Joe is a natural fit for the role.
“We are thrilled to welcome Joe Pihema to the Gallery’s leadership team. His extensive expertise and leadership in cultural advisory and experience within the arts and cultural sector will be instrumental in shaping the Gallery’s cultural direction and enhancing our engagement with Māori communities.
“Since the head of kaupapa Māori role was established in 2021, the Gallery has made strides on its bi-cultural journey. Highlights have included a greater adoption of te reo Māori, tikanga practices and understanding within the Gallery and an increase in cultural capability amongst staff.
“I’m looking forward to working with Joe to build on this positive momentum to ensure greater Māori outcomes,” adds Lacy.
Joe Pihema says he is pleased to be joining the team.
“The recent drive within the organisation to support and embed a greater depth of kaupapa Māori is exciting. My hope is to give greater focus and impact to that cultural uplift which in time becomes intuitive and natural within a spirit of manaaki.
“Ideally, we want to embrace a larger portion of the Māori community as part of our whānau. We’re already looking at a number of opportunities over the next 18-months including strengthening our relationship with Kura Kaupapa Māori and Wharekura, Māori artists, and tangata whenua,” says Pihema.
Joe’s previous positions include Deputy Director and Curator of Collections at Tairāwhiti Museum, member of Te Papa National Services Bicultural Committee, member of the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Trust Board and Tupuna Maunga o Tāmaki Makaurau Authority. In addition to this, he is a current member of the Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira; Taumata-ā-Iwi.
Joe Pihema commenced his role as Poumatua at the Gallery in December 2023. Joe Pihema appeared on the Gallery’s Cultured Conversations podcast here.
About Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, part of Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, is the largest and most inspiring visual arts experience in New Zealand. Its collection and loan collections currently number over 17,000 artworks. They include major holdings of New Zealand historic, modern and contemporary art. Alongside outstanding works by Māori and Pacific artists, they represent significant international painting, sculpture and print collections.
About Tātaki Auckland Unlimited
Tātaki Auckland Unlimited is Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s cultural and economic agency committed to making our region a desirable place to live, work, visit, invest and do business.
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is one of the substantive cultural institutions that Tātaki Auckland Unlimited owns, operates and maintains for the benefit of Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland.
Image: Joe Pihema, courtesy of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.jpg