The waharoa I designed for our wedding represents the whakapapa of love, and its name, from Taranaki waiata, encapsulates this: Puna te Aroha.

Puna te Aroha

The amo depict the inner child being swung by the invisible hands of our tūpuna, showing the joy they want for us and the joy that we bring to each other, which is the basis of our relationship.

Ko tō mātou waka

Ko te Rangimārie

Te hoe o runga

Ko Puna te Aroha

Oceloxóchitl flowers represent my wife's Mexican culture and whānau, and kōwhai ngutu kākā flowers in the kōwhaiwhai represent mine.

Together they carry the flow of energy from our atua to represent creativity and the power, joy and hauora that comes from being connected to nature and whānau.

The carving pattern on the raparapa represents the pā harakeke, our community of whānau and friends that supports, nurtures and protects us in life's journey.

The raparapa are the welcoming arms of love that not only feeds us, but gives us so much to share with the world at large.

To complete our pōwhiri-style ceremony, we walked through the waharoa together to a final karanga, representing the beginning of our marriage journey.

Puna te Aroha now stands on the wall of our home with the two kahu hanging inside as an altar to love, while lights strung around her silhouette light up our nights.

Keeping with the theme of the waiata, I designed chocolate waka for guests to eat at the wedding by making my own silicone moulds.

Chocolate waka

Oceloxóchitl flowers from México and kōwhai ngutu kākā represent our two cultures on a voyage together.

Ko tō mātou waka

Ko te Rangimārie

Our friend Bronwyn O’Hara generously used her own delicious Malva brand chocolate from the Solomon Islands to make each part of the waka.

They were a lot of work for something that disappeared so fast, but that was the point: the bold spirit of creating beauty and meaning, and then letting it go!

It turns out I was the only person who thought that was a beautiful concept. But life and marriage are full of wild ideas and glorious disasters. They tasted fantastic.

Using a gorgeous hat band from Chiapas as my palette, I dyed super chunky wool by hand to get variegated tones of each colour, then knitted Tania's kahu myself.

Kahu

Hei whakaruruhau mōu

Kahu carry much mana in te ao Māori and represent status, dedication and protection. The traditional art requires expertise and months of labour to fashion.

My own kahu was knitted by my aunty and friends, and Tania has since decorated it with symbols and patterns she designed to represent my own strengths.

The symbols I crocheted on top of the kahu celebrate what I love about her and the strengths that she brings to our marriage, as do the superhero masks and cuffs.

I decided that exchanging kahu instead of rings would be a fittingly Māori way to marry my wife, and began the six-month project of making them in secret.

Our beloved Aunty Maata holding the hat band I used as a palette.

Whānau and friends supported the journey.

I was determined to show my love and gratitude for her after she'd looked after me with such dedication, and planned a surprise party as well as these earrings.

Hei taringa

Superhero earrings

I made these superhero earrings for Tania to celebrate our first wedding anniversary in February 2026.

Acting on my values has given my life meaning and hope through the 9 months I've had this debilitating illness.

Stuck in bed for months with fatigue from Long Covid, the inspiration for these came when I needed it most, shifting despair into motivation and purpose.

These hei taringa in the mōkihi continue the theme of committing our superpowers to our journey together.

The abutilon flower light sculpture provides a reminder to my wonderful mother of the love we all have for her, captured in messages from over 50 friends and whānau.

Most of my art projects celebrate the people in my life.

The oceloxóchitl depicted in the ceramic brooch comes from her garden, where my initial inspiration for the Mexican design for our wedding symbols originated.

I contacted them when Mum was having a hard time and simply asked them to share what they love about her, then made the sculpture to remind her of her own light.

Celebrating Mum

The ephemeral cloak celebrates her love of nature with autumn leaves collected during a whānau trip to Wānaka.

Oil paintings

Portraiture

Sculpture

Taurima: hands represent the care my aunty Piki bestowed on me in my youth.

Musical instruments

While teaching in my first job as an arts specialist (UNICEF article), I began making outdoor musical instruments for my niece (above).

My vision of enabling all students to enjoy creative musical play together led me to develop an entire Sound Garden for the kura.

There is much more to come!