Ko Hikurangi te maunga, ko Waiapu te awa,ko Ngāti Porou te iwi.

He uri a Stacy Gordine o Te Whānau a Hinerupe ki Waiapu,

Internationally acclaimed for his small scale adornment works, Stacy Gordine is the Tumu (head of school) for Te Takapū o Rotowhio (National Stone and Bone Carving School) at the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institue (NZMACI).

With over 30 years experience as a multimedia carver and adornment artist, Stacy has carved alongside the indigenous peoples of both Alaska and Hawai’i, serving not only as tutor but also as student as he practiced his craft alongside the indigenous master artists.

Arriving to NZMACI in 2013, Stacy continues the legacy of his great-uncles’ Pine and Hone Te Kauru Taiapa, who were students of the original carving school in Rotorua in 1927 and tutored many of today’s master carvers. Stacy has lead the design of ‘Te Ahi Tipua’ with the support of the NZMACI team. ‘Te Ahi Tipua’ is a three story high sculpture created with 3D printers, and carbon fiber technology which will be a gateway, welcoming visitors to Rotorua, it is a collaboration with NZTA, the Rotorua City Council, Te Puia and Victoria University school of design.

Statement: Contemporary interpretations of customary material culture.