Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery presents He Ao Āpōpō, He Ao Tea: Māori Futures, a major exhibition that brings together leading contemporary Māori artists to explore ideas of imagination, aspiration, futures and possibility through a distinctly Māori lens. The exhibition runs from 11 July to 25 October 2026.

Developed as the gallery’s Puanga exhibition, He Ao Āpōpō, He Ao Tea takes its title from a proverb written by respected Whanganui scholar and leader Dr Rangitakuku Metekingi. Translated as “tomorrow is a new day, and the new day will bring clarity,” the phrase speaks to the exhibition’s central theme of manifesting futures, nurturing dreams and imagining what is possible for coming generations.

Developed by the gallery’s curator of programmes and engagement, Cecelia Kumeroa, the exhibition brings together an outstanding group of artists whose practices span painting, sculpture, digital media, installation, sound and moving image. Through diverse creative approaches, the exhibition considers how mātauranga Māori, innovation, technology, whakapapa and cultural resilience can shape future worlds. Kumeroa says. “Convening these artists is exciting for me and a great privilege. Māori futurism embraces cyclic notions of past, present and future. Māori knowledge systems are not fixed in the past but are in a constant evolving state. My curation builds on contemporary dialogues between new media technologies, cosmologies and toi Māori. I am interested in the power of Indigenous perception, assertions of sovereignty and how this manifests through creative expression.”

Featured artists include Kauri Hawkins, Eugene Kara, Maioha Kara, Peata Larkin, Tiopira McDowell (Mokotron), James Ormsby, Tia Ranginui, Tyrone Te Waa, Kereama Taepa, Ron Te Kawa, Saffronn Te Ratana, Nephi Tupaea, Paeheretia Collective (Billy van Uitregt), John Walsh and Siobhan Wooding.

Thanks to the galleries that have supported this exhibition; Page Galleries, Jhana Millers Gallery, Tim Melville Gallery, Season Aotearoa, Anna Miles Gallery, Paul Nache Gallery, Chalkhorse Gallery (Gadigal Land Sydney).

“I’m humbled to be among the incredible artists featured in He Ao Apōpō, He Ao Tea: Māori Futures. The continuation of toi Māori is on full display within Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery. Each artwork carries its own intricacies while collectively contributing to the kaupapa of the exhibition: manifesting futures, nurturing dreams and imagining what is possible for generations to come,” says Kauri Hawkins who has three works in the exhibition.

The exhibition celebrates the power of contemporary Māori art to imagine alternative futures while remaining firmly connected to whenua, whakapapa and community. Guests to the gallery will encounter works that challenge assumptions, spark conversation and offer compelling visions of what tomorrow might look like.