Haami Te Whaiti (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, Ngāi Tahu, Rangitāne) has been awarded the Ngā Tohu ā Tā Kingi Ihaka | Sir Kingi Ihaka Award recognising a lifetime contribution in Creative New Zealand’s The Ngā Taonga Toi a Te Waka Toi Awards 2024.
Haami was born in Martinborough, grew up on a farm near Mangakino and became a member of Ngā Tamatoa at Waikato University.
For more than 40 years he has worked alongside kaumātua, kuia and whānau to support the kaupapa of Ngati Hinewaka.
Haami’s work has helped to see the return of waahi tapu land at Mātakitaki-a-Kupe after 100 years of dispossession. He supported the reconstruction of Mākōtukutuku wharepuni at Te Papa and has curated exhibitions at Aratoi.
More recently, he has been a negotiator settling Iwi claims.
Haami Te Whaiti is Aratoi’s Kaihautu and Curator Māori.
The Te Waka Toi Awards, which are in their 38th year, celebrate the development, artistry and ongoing life of toi Māori.
