Ki te kapu o taku ringa | In the palm of my hand

Ka matakitaki iho au ki te riu o Waikato

Ano nei hei kapo kau ake maaku;

Ki te kapu o taku ringa,

"I look down on the valley of Waikato, As though to hold it In the hollow of my hand."

Inspired by this maioha (song poem) of the late Kīngi Tāwhiao, the exhibition ‘Ki te kapu o taku ringa’ - developed from the research project ‘Te Nehenehenui - The Ancient Enduring Beauty in the Great Forest of the King Country’ by Professor Tom Roa and Dr. Rodrigo Hill – explores place representation through a kaupapa-driven photographic approach. Merging Mātauranga Māori and photography, the project is centred in wānanga, an essential space for discussion, knowledge-sharing, and cultural reflection, led by mana whenua.

Challenging Eurocentric conventions, the work reframes landscapes as visual thoughts rather than mere objective images. Through deep engagement with historical sites and mana whenua across Te Nehenehenui the King Country, the project amplifies indigenous perspectives, reclaiming Mātauranga Māori over wahi mana sacred places.

Presented as a large-scale photographic installation, the exhibition creates space for expanded ways of seeing and understanding places and spaces through a decolonised and indigenous informed lens.