Collaboration

Maraea taking some time to envision her final markings

Earlier this month, I had the privilege of assisting my whanaunga Maraea Timutimu with her new mural for the reopening of the Tauranga Art Gallery on November 15.

The mural, painted directly onto the gallery’s 5 x 4 metre exterior wall, was created using whenua from Tauranga Moana and white clay (uku mā) from Matakana Island and also Matapihi point.

Our process began in Matapihi, gathering whenua under the midday sun. The collection point was far from the parking area, and the tide was low — meaning each container had to be carried a long distance across hot, uneven ground. It was tough work, but it felt deeply purposeful. Every step reminded me of the weight and value of what we were carrying — not just soil, but story.

After gathering, I joined Maraea at the Tauranga Art Gallery to help process the whenua. Together we mixed and tested it in the sunlight, experimenting with consistency and tone to find the right surface behaviour. Once the pigment was ready, we worked side by side, brushing large gestural marks across the wall to form the base layer of the mural — sweeping arcs of earth that would become the grounding presence of the work.

The day was scorching, but the energy of the process carried us. It was powerful to work alongside another artist who understands how whenua behaves — how it thickens, dries, and cracks when it meets light. After we completed the base, Maraea continued the piece on her own, using the white Matakana clay we had prepared for her to build up her signature patterns and marks.

The finished mural was stunning — an earthy, luminous surface that felt both ancient and utterly contemporary, perfectly framing the newly renovated gallery. Watching people pass by and pause to take it in was a moment of quiet pride.

This experience taught me so much — about collaboration, scale, and the logistics of working with galleries on large public projects. It was also a reminder that artistic practice is never solitary; it’s built on shared knowledge, shared labour, and shared love for the land. To help my whanaunga bring her vision to life felt like an honour and a continuation of the collective stories that live within our whenua.