Amelia Blundell
Ko Maungaemiemi te maunga
Ko Whangaroa te moana
Ko Ngātokimatawhaorua me Maamari ngā waka
Ko Ururoa te tūpuna
He uri ahau no Ngāpuhi me Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa
Ko Blundell tōku whānau
Kei Whangārei e noho ana au
Artist Statement
An uri of Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa, shaped by the moana of Whangaroa and the whenua of Te Uri o Hau and Te Roroa, with whānau roots in Ruawai and a home in Whangārei. Amelia’s practice with uku is a continuation of the relationships her tūpuna held with the land. A tactile, reciprocal way of remembering who we are and how we move through te ao Māori.
As a student of the whenua, Amelia creates forms that acknowledge deep and integral connections to Papatūānuku. Her work is guided by whakapapa and shaped by the teachings received through Toi Ngāpuhi’s Tai o Hī Tai o Hā wānanga series, where I learned alongside and from ringatoi nō Ngāpuhi-nui-tonu. These experiences strengthened my understanding of uku not only as a material, but as a living connector and a vessel for story, memory, and Indigenous knowledge.
“My pieces often draw from my background in horticulture, exploring the relationships between whenua, kai, and the cycles that sustain us. Whether forming ipu, vessels or organic forms, I seek to embody Indigenous ways of being, honouring the wisdom embedded in te taiao, uplifting the mauri of the materials, and acknowledging the interdependence between people and place. Working with uku is a grounding practice. A way of returning to Papatūānuku, of listening to the stories held in the soil, and of allowing my hands to remember what my whakapapa already knows. Through each form, I hope to create opportunities for reconnection between whenua and whānau, continuing the rhythms that have carried our people across generations.”
