Reuben Tipene
Rueben Tipene – Ngāpuhi / Ngāi Tahu
Reuben Tipene – Māori-Inspired Pounamu Carvings Honouring Generations of Creative Expression
Hello I'm -
E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā karangatanga maha – Tēnā koutou katoa.
Ko Rueben Tipene tōku ingoa, he uri au nō ngā iwi o Ngāpuhi me Ngāi Tahu hoki.
Greetings
My name is Rueben Tipene, I’m a descendant of the Ngāpuhi and Ngāi Tahu tribes.
I was brought up with my Māori heritage and always enjoyed “Ngā Mahi Toi” – Māori arts. From a young age I would always be drawing. One particular day a Māori carver noticed some of my drawings and said to me, “If you can draw, you can carve.” From that point on, I would look for anything to carve—from native wood scrounged from demolition sites, to shells out of the sea, limestone from a hillside, or bone from the butcher.
I have carved and painted murals, carved Waharoa “Gateway”, Tekoteko “Māori Figures”, Māori weapons, and many other decorative Māori implements and objects. However, I now earn a modest living carving Pounamu “Greenstone” and Pākohe “Argilite.”
I manage my own carving studio from home and provide both locally and internationally.
