New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute (NZMACI)

The New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute (NZMACI) is Aotearoa’s leading centre for traditional Māori arts training, based at Te Puia in Rotorua. Since 1963, NZMACI has trained generations of tauira (students) in whakairo rākau (wood carving), whakairo kōhatu me te wheua (stone and bone carving), and raranga (weaving), keeping these living art forms thriving for future generations.

NZMACI is made up of three national schools: Te Wānanga Whakairo Rākau (the National Wood Carving School), Te Takapū o Rotowhio (the National Stone and Bone Carving School), and Te Rito o Rotowhio (the National Weaving School). Each school trains a small intake of tauira every year under expert kaiwhakairo (master carvers) and kaiwhatu (master weavers), using techniques and knowledge passed down through generations.

Visitors to Te Puia can see this living art form in action. Walk through the schools on a guided experience and watch tauira and master artists at work, browse and purchase taonga (treasures) created on-site at Āhua Gallery, or apply to train as a student yourself. NZMACI offers a rare opportunity to witness Māori arts and crafts being preserved, practised and passed on in real time.

Sixty years ago, the 1963 NZ Māori Arts & Crafts Institute Act was signed, making it an important time to reflect on its legacy and what lies ahead for the future.
The NZ Māori Arts & Crafts Institute (NZMACI) is home to the schools of Te Wānanga Whakairo Rākau (National Wood Carving School), Te Takapū o Rotowhio (National Stone and Bone Carving School) and Te Rito o Rotowhio (the National Weaving School).

NZ Māori Arts & Crafts Institute general manager Eraia Kiel says it is a huge achievement for te iwi Māori that NZMACI has delivered on the Act’s responsibilities to protect, preserve and promote Māori culture.
While 60 years of history is being recognised, we also acknowledge that Parliament enacted the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Vesting Act in 2020 with mana whenua owners through the Te Puia NZMACI Limited Partnership. The partners are Wāhiao Tūhourangi o Whakarewarewa, the Pukeroa Oruawhata Trust, and Ngāti Hurungaterangi, Ngāti Taeotū, and Ngāti Te Kahu o Ngāti Whakaue. Vesting means that Te Puia | NZMACI is iwi owned.

The New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Vesting Act (2020) identifies six functions of the Institute (note these are carried over from the 1963 Act):

1. Encourage, foster, and promote ahurea and toi Māori (culture and Māori arts) of New Zealand.
2. Provide training for the iwi of New Zealand, including in whakairo rākau (carving) and raranga (weaving).
3. Make grants to enable persons to study, train, and gain experience in creating Māori arts and crafts or any other matter approved by the Partnership.
4. Confer diplomas or certificates on persons who have undertaken training or gained qualifications in Māori arts and crafts or Māori culture generally.
5. Provide and support demonstrations, exhibitions, and tours of toi Māori and toi whakaari Māori (performing arts) of New Zealand.
6. Provide for the sustainable development of scenic and tourist attractions in the Rotorua district and elsewhere.

We look forward to sharing our mahi with you.

You can experience NZMACI as a visitor by booking a Te Puia guided experience here and seeing the schools in action. You can browse and shop for taonga created by the tauira, pouako and tumu at Ahua Gallery. Or you can apply to be a student in October each year – see the Te Rito, Te Takapū and Whakairo Rākau for more information on intakes.