One of Aotearoa’s most prominent
Muka/Raranga artists
Workshops, educational programmes, and cultural experiences for all levels and all ages.
Meet Purewa
Purewa is a highly regarded practitioner of traditional Māori weaving, specialising in raranga and whatu muka.
Her woven taonga are held in the collections of Te Papa Tongarewa and the Natur und Mensch Museum in Germany.
Supported by Manatū Taonga, she has researched traditional applications of whale oil within raranga practice and is a recipient of the Ngā Manu Pīrere award from Creative New Zealand.
Known for her distinctive muka kākahu, she is widely sought after and remains committed to preserving her craft through workshops and community engagement.
Traditional weaving &
weaving with modern materials
Raranga (weaving) and whatu muka (fibre work) are traditional Māori textile practices grounded in generations of knowledge from harakeke.
Equal importance is given to both muka preparation and weaving, each requiring skill, care, and cultural understanding, and together expressing whakapapa and tikanga throughout the process.
Contemporary Māori textile practice builds on these foundations, incorporating new materials and experimental approaches while maintaining cultural integrity.
Together, they form a continuum —preserving traditional knowledge while allowing innovation, expression, and dialogue between past and present.
Find out more about our range of workshops.
Follow Purewa on Instagram
