“About three years ago I was fortunate to be travelling with Manos Nathan from an Indigenous Artists hui, Kokiri Putahi at Kohewhata Marae, to Waipoua Forest. I was so in awe of the beauty of Tane Mahuta and being with Manos made it even more significant. I took some photos of the beautiful colours of the undergrowth of moss and the various ferns and vines using my mobile phone camera. The one that captured my attention was the white rata vine, the aka, akatea.”

As a creeping vine, white rata are reliant on bigger trees such as kauri to support their growth up into the light. In turn they, and a myriad other small plants, adorn the trunks and floor of the forest, creating an intricate and beautiful living texture. The delicate detail of the white rata vine reminds us of the complex world of interconnected species that are reliant on each other in the forest ecosystem – the biodiversity that will suffer if kauri are lost.

Kura Te Waru-Rewiri (Ngati Pakahi ki Whaingaroa, Ngati Kahu, Ngapuhi, Ngati Raukawa ki Kauwhata, Ngati Rangi) was born in Kaeo and educated at Northland College and Bay of Islands College, where her art teachers were Selwyn Wilson and Buck Nin, before studying at Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury. Currently senior tutor in the Maunga Kura Toi - Bachelor of Maori Art at Northtec Tai Tokerau Wananga, she has been at the forefront of many contemporary Maori art developments in Aotearoa and in the establishment of Maori art education at tertiary level. Her work is represented in numerous public and private collections both nationally and internationally.