2023 TE AO O TE PŪKEKO RESIDENCY - applications are now closed.
Kaupapa
Nau mai haere mai ki te Ao o te Pūkeko kei raro i te maunga o Taratahi; i waenganui i ngā awa o Mangatarere me Waingawa. E mohiotia ana tenei rohe ko Taratahi ki te hauauru.
Welcome to Te Ao o Te Pūkeko here under the mountain Taratahi between the Mangatarere and Waingawa rivers. This area is known as West Taratahi and it is where we have lived for some 29 years.
While we have shaped the landscape, the whenua is still shaping us. We have enjoyed seeing the trees grow and hearing the birdsong in the morning and the rustling of leaves at night, but that shaping has meant the place no longer appeals to Pūkeko: we have not heard their cry at night for some years.
The wairua here seems to rise to the surface of the whenua and many people feel its presence. As avid readers and writers, we enjoy meeting other creative people: offering an artist residency allows us to share this place and support the projects people bring.
Given our closeness to the ngahere of Taratahi, the small awa on this place and nearby rivers, our passion for taiao and our environmental activism over the years, we hope this residency appeals to tangata whenua exploring their engagement with taiao.
Ngā mihi,
Gaye and Michael