Te Whanau a Apanui

Carver

Michael currently resides in Te Awamutu but is originally from Te Kaha on the East Coast of the North Island. A descendant of Te Whanau a Apanui, Michael trained at the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Carving School – Te Puia in Rotorua from 1986 to 1988. Michael has developed and taught carving programmes at primary, secondary and currently tertiary level. He has also contributed to the carvings of seven Wharenui and restoration projects around New Zealand.

Michaels’s current works in glass focus on the way in which light interacts with sculpted works that have been previously carved in wood. In their original form, the woodcarvings reflect the previous life and origin of the wood used. When works evolve into a medium such as glass, the story of the original carving continues, as does the development of his work as a carver.