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Pou Kapua Creations Trust

From 2026, Pou Kapua Creations Trust will deliver year-round programmes from the historic Percy Vos Boat Yard in Tāmaki Makaurau.

Pou Kapua Creations Trust empowers traditional knowledge holders, educators, practitioners and artisans from Aotearoa, the Pacific and across the world to make our native world visible through art, science and waka culture.

Based at Percy Vos Boat Yard, their bespoke waka workshop operates as both an incubator and a living repository for excellence in toi whakairo and waka creation. The team build, restore and maintain waka of all kinds — from waka tētē and waka taua, to ocean-going waka hourua — alongside innovative contemporary designs.

Through culturally safe wānanga, workshops and mentorships, Pou Kapua Creations expand access to kaupapa waka and safeguard waka mātauranga, ensuring the resilience and sustainability of tohunga toi ake, tohunga whakairo and tohunga waka across generations.

For more information, visit www.poukapua.com.

Programmes

Pou Kapua Creations Trust will deliver a year-round public programme combining waka design and creation, capability-building and public engagement across toi Māori. Visitors can expect opportunities to watch, learn and participate in the making of waka and Māori and Pacific artforms.

Introduction to Carving

Hoe Waka / Paddles & Māori Weaponry

Sat 16 - Sun 17 May, 9.30am - 4.30pm | $625 per person

This introductory wānanga explores the history, design and carving of a waka hoe (paddle) and traditional Māori weapons such as patu and taiaha, while sharing insights into their cultural significance and use. Guided by Tōhunga Whakairo / Master Carver Wikuki Kingi, participants will design and shape their own piece using a mix of traditional and modern tools, finishing, adorning and naming their completed taonga to take home.

Designed for all experience leves | Ages: 16+  | Materials, morning and afternoon tea included

To book and find out more about the course, please email tania.wolfgramm@gmail.com.

https://cdn.aucklandunlimited.com/maritime/assets/media/kuki-carving-workshop.webp

Meet Wikuki Kingi

Wikuki Kingi (Tainui, Ngāi Tai, Waikato, Tamaoho, Te Whānau-a-Apanui, Raukawa, Ngāi Tahu, Hawai‘i) is a Tōhunga Toi Ake / Master Carver with more than 45 years of experience in toi Māori and whakairo.

Over a long and prolific career, he has created hundreds of taonga across multiple media, including waka, marae, pou and significant public artworks. Among his most recognised works is Pou Kapūa, an intricately carved landmark acknowledged as the tallest Māori/Pacific carving in the world.

For decades, Wikuki has supported Māori, Pacific and Indigenous communities to realise their creative aspirations and strengthen cultural identity through intergenerational practice. He is widely respected for his artistry, technical excellence and cultural leadership across Aotearoa and the Pacific.

https://cdn.aucklandunlimited.com/maritime/assets/media/wikuki-kingi.webp

FAQs

All workshops are held at the historic Percy Vos Boat Yard, 38/42 Hamer Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland.

Bookings are managed through the Pou Kapua Creations website www.poukapua.com.

For enquiries about Pou Kapua Creations Trust and their workshops please contact them directly:

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