Te Puia Carving Team
Two teams of carvers will be travelling from Te Puia to carve onsite at the New Zealand Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo. The carvers have until 9 July to finish the carving before it is ceremoniously gifted to the Chinese people as part of New Zealand ’s ‘Expo National Day’. The boys come from all over New Zealand to train at Te Puia in the time honoured practices of Māori wood carving and are part of an unbroken tradition reaching back hundreds of years. James Rickard, the Master Carver for this project, will be overseeing the two teams over this period. The two teams are (left to right):
Carving Team 1 (35th Intake)
Tony Thompson, (Ngāti Uenuku Kopako, Ngāti Rangiteaorere)Paenga Ihaka, (Ngāti Rangiwewehi)
Wiremu Mako, (Morehu)
Kemara Kennedy, (Ngāti Pikiao)
Carving Team 2 (36th Intake)
Kawharu Greensill, (Ngāti Koata, Ngāti Hinerupe)Te Rangi Kapiki Fraser, (Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Ngāti Raukawa)
Thomas Herbert, (Ngāti Whare, Ngāti Rongomai, Ngāti Te Wehi)
Kelly Elliott, (Maniapoto, Tūhoe, Ngā Puhi)
