The enduring legacy of Māori weaving will take centre stage at this year’s New Zealand Fashion Week, with Te Aho Tapu – The Sacred Thread bringing together treasured ancestral taonga and the work of a new generation of contemporary designers in a celebration of mātauranga Māori, innovation and cultural expression.
The one-night showcase will be held at Auckland Museum on 21 August, featuring historical collections from the whānau of legendary tohunga raranga Dame Rangimārie Hetet and Diggeress Te Kanawa alongside modern fashion inspired by traditional weaving practices.
Among the highlights will be kete, kahu, piupiu, tāniko-woven slippers and a timeline documenting the evolution of weaving materials through time. Visitors will also have the opportunity to view four korowai woven by Diggeress Te Kanawa, selected from a collection she created over 25 years for her twelve children.
The event will combine a private viewing of these taonga with a panel discussion featuring leading Māori creatives, academics and artists before concluding with a runway showcase by four emerging designers whose work explores weaving traditions through contemporary fashion. The designers represent Māori, Indian, South African and Papua New Guinean heritage, highlighting the shared language of textile traditions across Indigenous and global cultures.
Organisers say the event demonstrates that raranga is not simply a traditional artform preserved in museums, but a living practice that continues to evolve through new materials, techniques and creative expression. Contemporary crochet, knitting and textile design are all presented as part of the continuing journey of weaving knowledge passed down through generations.
The showcase also aims to reconnect audiences with the original purpose of kākahu and woven taonga, reminding visitors they were once essential everyday items created through months of skilled labour to protect and sustain whānau, rather than simply museum pieces.
Te Aho Tapu – The Sacred Thread will take place on Friday 21 August from 6.30pm to 10.30pm at Te Ao Mārama, Auckland Museum, offering a rare opportunity to experience the past, present and future of Māori weaving in one of Aotearoa’s premier cultural events.
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