Carving identity into every stroke, and inviting all of us to get lost in the lines.
“Every carved line is a story — a connection to my tīpuna, to this land, to who we are and who we are becoming.”
Hikurangi Edwards, returns to the NZ Art Show 2026 with new works inspired by whakapapa, te taiao, and the flowing energy of connection.”
Meet Hikurangi Edwards — a kaiwhakairo peita (paint carver) of Ngāruahine, Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau-Ā-Apanui and Ngāpuhi descent. Her work is grounded in whakapapa and inspired by the deep well of knowledge held in te ao Māori, where history and identity are carried through form, pattern, and mark-making.
Using her distinct paint carving technique — a practice she fell in love with in 2021, shortly after welcoming her second child — Hikurangi transforms layers of paint into textured storytelling. Each work becomes a living narrative: the past honoured, the present acknowledged, and the future called toward.
Her first exhibition at the NZ Art Show was in 2023 as an offsite artist, followed by a bold step into the onsite artist cohort in 2024 — and she’ll return again as a onsite artist at the 2026 NZ Art Show. The show has become a significant creative milestone in her year.
“The NZ Art Show is my main show annually. It gives me opportunities to connect — with art lovers, with other makers, with galleries across Aotearoa. I feel truly supported here.”
Balancing full-time work with whānau life, Hikurangi’s creative practice often begins once her two boys are asleep — the late-night quiet giving space for carving, reflection, and wānanga with materials.
Inspired by tīpuna and te taiao, she continues to expand her visual language, experimenting with new forms, styles, and brighter colours in this year’s collection. Even with the shift in palette, the koru, aramoana, and flowing carved lines remain central — meditative to make, and grounding to encounter.
“My hope is that art lovers get lost in the curves and markings — that they feel the story, and find a connection of their own.”
For Hikurangi, the NZ Art Show is more than an exhibition — it is a reunion with fellow artists who have become cherished friends, a chance to meet those who have been following her journey online, and a celebration of mātauranga Māori shared through art.
