
Ockham Award Winner 2025
Bookhub Award For Illustrated Non-Fiction
"Described as groundbreaking, a landmark publication and a ‘bold and ambitious endeavour’, Toi Te Mana is a comprehensive survey of Māori art. Twelve years in the making, extensively researched and thoughtfully written, it casts a wide inclusive net. The result is a beautifully designed visual tour de force of images both newly created and archivally sourced, and a cultural framework that approaches toi mahi with intelligence and insight. This is a book of enduring significance with international reach.
Toi Te Mana is dedicated to the late Jonathan Mane-Wheoki, one of the three authors responsible for this magnum opus. The judges congratulated Professors Deirdre Brown and Ngarino Ellis for carrying the baton to completion, a herculean task akin to the mahi of Maui himself."
He toi whakairo, he mana tangata.Through artistic excellence, there is human dignity. Toi Te Mana is a landmark account of Maori art from the time of the tupuna (ancestors) to the present day.
In 600 pages and over 500 extraordinary images, this volume invites readers to climb on to the waka for a remarkable voyage - from ancestral weavers to contemporary artists at the Venice Biennale, from whare whakairo to film, and from Te Puea Herangi to Michael Parekowhai.
The Authors explore a wide field of art practice: raranga (plaiting), whatu (weaving), moko (tattoo), whakairo (carving), rakai (jewellery), kakahu (textiles), whare (architecture), toi whenua (rock art), painting, photography, sculpture, ceramics, installation art, digital media and film. And they do so over a long time period - from the arrival of Pacific voyagers 800 years ago to contemporary artists in Aotearoa and around the world today.
Through wide-ranging chapters alongside focused breakout boxes on individual artists, movements and events, Toi Te Mana is a waka eke noa - an essential book for anyone interested in te ao Maori.
Toi Te Mana is a Maori art history, written by Maori, given to the world. Toitu te whenua, toitu te tikanga, ka ora nga toi. When we hold fast to our land and values, our art flourishes.
Deidre Brown (Author) , Ngarino Ellis (Author) , Jonathan Mane-Wheoki (With)