Georgia Latu

Te Ara i Whiti Artist

MAHI TOI

Poi i te Ao, Poi i te Pō

Poi i Te Ao, Poi i Te Pō celebrates the excellence and legacy of kapa haka in Te Tairāwhiti through poi. It is a sculpture that honours the Tairāwhiti kapa haka rōpū who stood at Te Matatini:

Te Hokowhitu a Tū

Whāngārā Mai Tawhiti

Hikurangi

Waihīrere

Tū Te Manawa Maurea

The poi are accompanied by a soundscape and design elements that reflect the colours and wairua of each rōpū.

As a kaihaka who travelled to Te Matatini with Whāngārā Mai Tawhiti, the artist draws from personal experience to create a space of mana, memory and movement. Poi i Te Ao, Poi i Te Pō embodies ō mātou tūmanako—our hopes—and invites all who visit to walk among and celebrate the strength of haka and community.

Georgia Latu (Kāi Tahu, Ngāpuhi, Samoa, Tokelau) is a multimedia ringatoi that was raised in Kōhanga Reo and Kura Kaupapa Māori in Ōtepoti, where her love for te ao Māori and connection to her identity through toi was nurtured from an early age. She is also the founder of Pōtiki Poi, the world’s largest poi manufacturing company, a kaupapa she began at just 12 years old to revitalise poi and create opportunities and pathways for her people.
Now based in Te Tairāwhiti, Georgia is in her second year of study at Toihoukura, where she continues to grow as an artist, passionate about Māori visual storytelling, whakapapa, kaupapa Māori and te ao haka. Her mahi draws on her lived experiences as a kaihaka and business founder, weaving together contemporary form with cultural depth.
Through sculpture, sound and community activation, she is committed to uplifting Māori voices and honouring the creativity of her tīpuna through every piece of art she makes.