DescriptionAbout the Kiwi creatorRobyn Kahukiwa (1938-2025), of Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Ngāti Konohi, and Te Whānau-a-Ruataupare, was a highly regarded New Zealand contemporary artist and award-winning author and illustrator of children’s books.Born in Sydney, Australia, she trained as a commercial artist and came to New Zealand at the age of 19, where she came to be known for her work drawing on Māori symbolism and mythological figures as well as for her staunch support of Māori women’s rights. She has written and illustrated 12 books of her own, and illustrated a number of stories for other New Zealand authors, most notably Patricia Grace.In 2011 Kahukiwa was awarded Te Tohu Toi Kē a Te Waka Toi/Making a Difference Award for her contribution to Māori arts. In 2020, Robyn Kahukiwa received the Te Tohu Aroha mō Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu Exemplary/Supreme Award at the Te Waka Toi Awards, in recognition of her life’s work.She died in April 2025 at the age of 87, and her whānau posted the news with the words, “You leave your great legacy of Māori art, and the taonga of your stories and illustrations for us your whānau, your mokopuna, and future generations.”
