MASTER CARVERS
I had the rare privilege of spending several weekends and days with three master carvers and artists — Lyonel Grant (Ngāti Pikiao, Te Arawa), Bernard Makoare (Ngāti Whātua, Te Roroa), and Manos Nathan (Ngāti Whātua, Ngāpuhi) — in their workshop deep within the Waipoua Forest.
There, I documented the transformation of tōtara, kauri, and clay into more than a dozen major works created for Auckland Zoo. Witnessing raw materials take form under their hands was extraordinary. The devotion, discipline, and deep aroha for their craft were palpable — humbling in their quiet intensity.
To be invited into this process, and welcomed so generously by the artists and their whānau, was a true gift.
