Owen Dippie with Tame Iti and a Revered Elder in Auckland, NZ

A new mural in Auckland pays tribute to a revered elder of the Tūhoe kuia named Hokimoana Tawa as part of a collaborative mural by Street Artist Owen Dippie and activist/artist Tame Iti. A first for the duo, this is a non-commisioned gift to the community from the two that is significantly close to the recent efforts at reconciliation between the police and the Tūhoe kuia people in this small town of Tāneatua.

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Owen Dippie and Tame Iti. Tuhoe Nation, New Zealand. November 2015. (photo © Erin Dippie)

Coming on the heels of a public apology by the police commissioner and his officers for an abuse of their power during raids of the community in 2007, the mural is hoped to be a fresh sign of healing, say the two artists.

According to Owen’s wife Erin, the couple traveled “to Ruatoki to stay with Tame and his lovely Partner Maria to create this mural ‘Ma mua a muri ka tika’ (the people of the past have things to say to the people of the future). Tame spoke with several Tūhoe woman and asked who they thought was the face of the nation and as a result, Hokimoana Tawa was chosen to adorn the wall.”

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Owen Dippie and Tame Iti. Tuhoe Nation, New Zealand. November 2015. (photo © Erin Dippie)

Owen says he and Tame have a great communication through their common language of art and that this may just be the first of a few more projects they will be doing together in the community. “It is an amazing collaboration between these two,” says Erin, “considering the history that has happened here in New Zealand between the crown & the people of Tuhoe.”

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Owen Dippie and Tame Iti. Tuhoe Nation, New Zealand. November 2015. (photo © Erin Dippie)

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Owen Dippie and Tame Iti. Tuhoe Nation, New Zealand. November 2015. (photo © Erin Dippie)

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Owen Dippie and Tame Iti. Tuhoe Nation, New Zealand. November 2015. (photo © Erin Dippie)

 

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