A stunning array of raranga (weaving) is being showcased at toi tauira (student) Toi Exhibition in Whakatāne.

Level 4 and 5 raranga students of Te Wānanaga o Aotearoa opened their end-of-year show yesterday and it continues until Friday.

Students were also delighted at the opening yesterday to have respected weaver Christina Wirihana, who has exhibited extensively in New Zealand and abroad, viewing their work.

“It is always lovely to tautoko, to support exhibitions associated with weaving. That is our common thread really, connecting people through the fibre we work with,” Ms Wirihana said.

“It is beautiful because it is inspirational and it is fresh,” she said of the exhibition.

While the work was that of the students, she said it also reflected the “tutor responsible for disseminating the techniques and information, so it is just beautiful.”

Tutor Geraldine Karekare said the Level 4 work focused on students’ use of natural materials.

A Level 4 display of kete, which originally would have been used for holding kai while diving, have taken on a decorative form and are attractive hanging pieces, she said.

“We utilise the kupenga technique,” she said of the kete, “and that involves the manipulation of fibre ... we have just used it in a more sculptural way.”

Suspended from the ceiling is another eye-catching work – a delicately weaved fishing net that has also taken on a decorative purpose. There are also panels with intricate weaving patterns and splashes of colour.

“The panels are really about learning how to read patterns to include colour and natural fibres.”

Ms Karekare said the students collected their own materials.

“At Level 4 they learn all about harvesting tikanga, protocols relating to the harakeke, and they have to prepare all their materials.”

In Level 5, Ms Karekare said, the students learned about muka: “The fibre inside the harakeke (flax). They extract the fibre and apply various techniques to create their garments, such as a maro. And they can add their own flair.”

The tutor said they usually had about 20 students in total, and it was not just Māori students.

“We are open to any culture.”

Level 5 student Kylie Mihaere Holmes said she was nearing the end of her second year of raranga learning and had created a tāniko (cloak). “It is all made of muka, the fibres inside the harakeke. I have used tree bark for the dye, and I have put it in ash to give it a deeper colour.”

Black hues, she said, had been made from mud she collected in a swamp.

Weaving was a creative outlet for her, she said.

“At the same time, this journey is not just for me, it is for both of us, so that I can pass that knowledge on to [her daughter] and keep that culture alive.

"It is also a spiritual journey; you feel a connection to your tipuna ... and to the Earth, it is much more than just weaving.”

What: Toi Exhibition: Level 4 and 5 raranga

Where: Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, 6/8 Te Tahi Street

When: 10am-2pm, today until Friday

Entry: Free