Matahi Brightwell | |
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.jpg) Brightwell in 2022 after being awarded theNew Zealand Order of Merit | |
| Born | Gregory John Brightwell (1952-07-22)22 July 1952 (age 72) Masterton, New Zealand |
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| Occupation | Master carver |
| Known for | Reintroducingwaka ama in New Zealand |
| Notable work | Sculpture ofNgātoro-i-rangi at Mine Bay,Lake Taupō |
Matahi Whakataka BrightwellONZM (bornGregory John Brightwell; 22 July 1952) is a New Zealand master carver. He reintroduced thewaka ama sport (outrigger canoe racing) in New Zealand.
His notable artworks include a sculpture in cliffside stone ofNgātoro-i-rangi at Mine Bay,Lake Taupō, carved from 1976 to 1980, which has been recognised as important to the district and localiwi. In 1985, he built the canoeHawaikinui-1 inTahiti, which he and others sailed to New Zealand to reflect Māori migration from Polynesia to New Zealand.
Brightwell was born in 1952 inMasterton, New Zealand.[1][2] He is ofKāti Huirapa,Ngāti Toa, Te Roro-o-te-Rangi (Ngāti Whakaue),Ngāti Tunohopu andRongowhakaata descent.[3] Brightwell was a pallbearer forJames K. Baxter at his funeral in 1972, and participated in theMāori Land March in 1975.[4]
In 1978, Brightwell carved atipuna whare (ancestral house) for Ngāti Toa atTakapūwāhia as well as an ancestralpouwhenua for the Kāti Huirapahapū in the South Island.[5] In 1980, he completed a pouwhenua recording thewhakapapa of Parekōhatu, the mother ofTe Rauparaha, installed at Tawatawa Reserve in Wellington.[5] In 2022, Brightwell and his daughter Taupuru Ariki Whakataka Brightwell collaborated on restoring and re-designing this pouwhenua.[6] Atōtara sculpture he created in 1998 is held in the art collection atTe Papa, New Zealand's national museum.[1]
In February 2023, Brightwell lost artworks, sculptures, andwaka when hisGisborne house was damaged duringCyclone Gabrielle.[7]
From 1976 to 1980, Brightwell worked with a team of four others to carve a 14-metre-high (46 ft) sculpture ofNgātoro-i-rangi into the cliffside at Mine Bay,Lake Taupō.[8][9][10] The sculpture is surrounded by smaller sculptures of tūpuna (ancestors) and kaitiaki (guardians).[8][10] Brightwell's grandmother, Te Huatahi Susie Gilbert, had requested that he carve a sculpture of Ngātoro-i-rangi, and Brightwell had been unable to find a suitable tōtara tree.[8]
The sculpture was initially controversial, with a local councillor complaining that "outsiders should not be cutting into our rock".[11] Brightwell decided to leave the sculpture's eyes blank due to the negative reception.[8]
In November 2016, a blessing took place to recognise the importance of the Ngātoro-i-rangi sculpture to the Taupō district and localiwi.[8] Brightwell carved a smaller version of the sculpture on tōtara,Ngatoroirangi Iti, which was displayed at the Taupō visitor centre.[8] In 2019, Brightwell sought donations to support the restoration of some of the smaller sculptures as well as carvers who could take over maintenance.[10]
Brightwell has said that he sees waka carving as an artform akin to his sculptural carving.[3] A wooden paddle carved by Brightwell in 1994 is in the collection of theBritish Museum.[12]
In 1985, Brightwell built the 22 m (72 ft) double-hulled canoeHawaikinui-1 inTahiti, using wood from tōtara trees fromWhirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne Conservation Park.[3][13] To emulate Māori migration from Polynesia to New Zealand, he sailed it to Rarotonga and New Zealand under Tahitian captain Francis Cowan, arriving on 6 January 1986 at Ōkahu Bay,Ōrākei, after a three-month voyage.[3][14][15] He was awarded the Blue Water Medal, presented byPaul Reeves, for this achievement.[3] The canoe was subsequently displayed at theMusée de Tahiti et des Îles in Tahiti.[15] His time living in Tahiti also led him to encounter thewaka ama sport, which he and his wife Raipoia brought back to New Zealand.[16][17]
Brightwell founded the Mareikura Canoe Club shortly after, and travelled around New Zealand reintroducing waka ama to local Māori.[3][18] The club has since developed into the nationwide Waka Ama Club organisation with over 80 clubs.[3][19] For this work, Brightwell was bestowed with the Samoan chief's title ofAvauli in 1998, was named Māori Sports Coach of the Year in 2002 and has been inducted into the New Zealand Waka Ama Hall of Fame.[3][16][20] In the2022 Queen's Birthday and Platinum Jubilee Honours, Brightwell was appointed anOfficer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to waka ama.[3][21]
Matahi Whakataka-Brightwell reintroduced waka ama or outrigger canoe to New Zealand from Tahiti
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