John Mutu
1 Artwork
Kaumātua John Mutu (Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Tama) is a Tohunga Whakairo (Master Carver). From 1987 he was based at Te Awhina Marae in Motueka where he established the carving house, Te Ara Toki, to begin carving the wharenui, Turangāpeke, which opened in 1990. It is now said to be the longest continuously occupied marae-based wharewhakairo in Aotearoa. Te Ara Toki is also the only marae-based wharewhakairo in Te Tauihu. In late 2022, Te Ara Toki was given its own free-standing home following support from the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu, ITM Motueka and Nelson Builders to renovate another old building on the marae.
Mutu’s work can be found across the territory of Te Tauihu (the top of Te Waipounamu, The South Island), from Te Ao Mārama, the wharenui at Onetāhua in Mohua (Golden Bay), across to Kakati at Whakatū Marae, to Arapoua at Waikawa Marae, near Waitohi (Picton).
Mutu remained at Te Awhina until approximately 2022, and has since relocated to live with whānau in Waiharakeke Blenheim.
See also:
John Mutu, ‘Wharepapa Rakaihautu’ (1997), Tasman District Council Office, Waimea Richmond, Te tai o Aorere Tasman District
Image: Bronwyn Holloway-Smith, Public Art Heritage Aotearoa New Zealand, Feb 2025
- Associated Artworks
