Wednesday 6 October 2021
Te Arepa Morehu (Ngāti Whātua, Ngāpuhi) joins Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki this month (October 2021) in a new senior leadership position as Head of Kaupapa Māori.
As the inaugural Head of Kaupapa Māori, Te Arepa will progress the Gallery’s commitment to support and promote Toi Māori.
An active leader in the community, and having led Te Ao Māori initiatives at senior leadership level for organisations including Westpac, MinterEllisonRuddWatts and Spark, Te Arepa is a passionate advocate in the areas of Te Ao Māori, tikanga Māori and te reo Māori.
‘Throughout my career I have been involved in organisational change and spent many years building bridges between corporate life and Te Ao Māori. Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki provides another opportunity to imbue Te Ao Māori in the thinking and operations of the Gallery. I accepted this leadership role because I believe kaupapa Māori can support and provide rich experiences for all hapori (communities) of Tāmaki,’ says Te Arepa.
Te Arepa joins the Gallery from Westpac where he was a Service Design Chapter Lead. Among his first priorities at the Gallery will be the recruitment of a new Curator, Māori Art who will contribute to exciting new exhibitions, research and acquisitions. ‘I’m looking forward to joining Toi o Tāmaki and creating opportunities to celebrate and support the indigenous art sector. As a proud descendant of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei I continually strive to uphold and whakamana our cultural responsibility to tiaki i ngā tāngata e noho nei i te whatutoto o Te Kawau, to care for people that reside in the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei heartlands.’ says Te Arepa.
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki Director, Kirsten Lacy, adds, ‘I’m delighted Te Arepa is joining the Gallery’s leadership team as our first Head of Kaupapa Māori.’
‘Te Arepa brings extensive cultural expertise embedding Te Ao Māori into organisational change initiatives within the commercial sector. He is a committed community leader, and he stands to make a significant contribution to the Gallery’s life and future vision. I’m excited to work with Te Arepa to develop our bi-cultural framework, a critical piece of work to our vision and values.’
‘It is wonderful to have someone of Te Arepa’s calibre join the leadership of Toi o Tāmaki,’ says Helen Te Hira, Auckland Unlimited Director of Māori Outcomes. ‘This position supports the formidable contribution and aspirations of past and present curators and members of Haerewa.’
‘The Head of Kaupapa Māori role comes at a time of deep reflection and continued debate about the legacy and future role of arts institutions in their relationship to Kaupapa Toi Māori. Te Arepa brings an Ahi Kā perspective, which will enrich the organisation and its contemporary identity.’
Te Arepa joins the Gallery as Head of Kaupapa Māori on 25 October 2021.
