Maiea /// To Surface is a 2026 Puanga|Matariki exhibition by Toi Tūwharetoa, presented at Taupō Museum from 20 June to 3 August 2026. Bringing together collective works by Vanessa Edwards-Buerger, Ria Te Uira Paki, Margaret Aull, Natalie Couch, Tautahanga Rameka, Reti Hedley, Tyronne Te Waa, Piata Winitana-Murray, Temaari Ngawati, Kahumako Rameka, and Delilah Southon, the exhibition centres on the concept of maiea - to rise, to awaken, to come to the surface.
Developed in alignment with the 100-year anniversary of the Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board, Maiea /// To Surface honours the enduring relationship between Ngāti Tūwharetoa and their wai and moana. Within this context, water is understood not as a resource, but as a living presence - an embodiment of identity, whakapapa, and mauri. Guided by the whakataukī “Ko te mauri, he mea huna ki te moana” (the life force is hidden beneath the sea), the exhibition reveals the unseen forces that shape cultural knowledge, memory, and connection.
At the heart of the exhibition are waiata, haka, mōteatea, and whakatauākī as living archives. These forms are reinterpreted through contemporary visual, audio, and moving image works, creating an immersive, sensory environment. Together, they hold and share narratives of environmental change, resilience, conflict, and continuity, offering insight into Ngāti Tūwharetoa perspectives and experiences.
Maiea /// To Surface is both a space for reflection and a platform for iwi-led storytelling. It invites audiences to slow down, listen, and engage deeply with the layered relationships between people, place, and water. Through exhibition, wānanga, workshops, and a public symposium, the project fosters inter-generational knowledge sharing and strengthens connections to cultural identity and environmental awareness.
Visitors are encouraged to enter with openness, to experience, to learn, and to witness what rises to the surface.
