Tirohanga whānui
Define your carving skills
Toi Paematua: Whakairo is designed for artists ready to expand their carving practice and their creative, cultural, and technical understanding.
This programme focuses on developing carvers as kaitiaki of their kaupapa toi - people who honour the origins, patterns, and symbolism embedded in whakairo.
You’ll refine your:
Technical skills
Explore traditional and contemporary design
Complete a series of guided projects
Express your identity and connection to tikanga and whakapapa
Guided by kaiako with expertise in toi Māori, you’ll strengthen your role as a responsible and confident practitioner of whakairo.
He aha tāu ka whiwhi?
Skills you'll leave with
Completing this programme means you’ll be able to:
Apply media practices across selected processes
Use creative processes to make carved works
Plan and manage time, materials and projects to meet brief requirements
Analyse the work of other toi practitioners
Conduct rangahau (research)
Describe the history, tikanga and cultural practices relating to whakairo
Mā te mahi ka ako
Learn by doing
You will get to:
Explore your role as a kaitiaki of whakairo
Develop your creative processes and practices through reflection and feedback
Refine your toi techniques and skills through advanced carving projects
Carry out rangahau to support your designs and creative decisions
Assist in leading and managing carving projects
Use whakairo and kōrero as ways to express yourself and communicate ideas with others
Ngā ara e wātea ana
Pathways
On completion, you'll have the skills to:
Keep studying
Progress into degree-level study in toi Māori.
Use at work
Apply your skills as a practising carver, artist, or cultural practitioner contributing to heritage, restoration, and new carving projects.
Community involvement
Support whānau, hapū, and iwi projects that uphold, restore, or revitalise whakairo as living expressions of Māori identity and culture.
He meka
Quick facts
- Level 5 (Intermediate)
- 120 Credits
- 38 Weeks
- NZ Diploma in Ngā Toi Level 5
- Fees apply
- NZQA Accredited
Paearu whakauru
Entry criteria
You can enrol if you:
Are 16 years or older
Are a NZ citizen or resident (includes Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau) or Australian citizen/permanent resident
Currently reside in New Zealand
Attend an interview with the kaiako
Have successfully completed Kāwai Raupapa: Certificate in Māori and Indigenous Art (Level 4) or an equivalent qualification, or provide a portfolio showing relevant creative experience
Te wā
Time commitment
This programme is:
Full-time
120 credits
38 weeks long (includes holiday breaks)
Noho-based, with workshops
Fees & Scholarships
The 2026 fees for this programme are:
$2,000 GST inclusive
Kōnae ako
Learning modules
Ki hea, mō āhea hoki au ako ai?
Where and when can I learn?