PĀ - Te Huarahi ki te Kāinga - Finding My Way Home w/ Hiria Anderson-Mita: 17th October, 2025

Hiria Anderson-Mita (Rereahu, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Apakura) is an Ōtorohanga-based painter whose practice depicts the everyday lives of the people of her community – often portraying landscapes or these tender, intimate moments in domestic and communal environments, but also the political and social environment of today that shapes contemporary Māori life.

In her current solo exhibition, PĀ - Te Huarahi ki te Kāinga - Finding My Way Home, on at Tim Melville Gallery, each painting locates and portrays a site of history and connection within the rohe of Ōtewa, Rangitoto Tuhua and the surrounding pā of Ngāti Maniapoto and Rereahu. Tracing the footprints of her tūpuna, Anderson-Mita’s inquiry sees her painting the pā tuna, the kohatu, the maunga, and the awa that were once sources of sustenance for entire communities – bringing these subjects into light as an avenue to share her knowledge of this area with others. 

Sofia had a kōrero with Hiria about the show and her overall practice