Māori artists recognised in New Year Honours

Two Māori artists devoting their life's work to supporting the next generation are among those awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit today.

Master carver or tōhunga whakairo Clive Fugill is a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his service to Māori art.

Fugill said he was "honoured, humbled, thankful" for the award recognising his contributions.

"A whole lot of emotions really because you see a lot of people getting awards over the years and you never think you're going to get one yourself. It was a bit of a shock!" Fugill said.

He continued: "It's not just for me, it's for all of those – it goes back to my parents who go back to the early days of my career, through to others of those who have helped me and many are long gone, passed on," he said.

Fugill's interest in carving started at a young age.

"My family are all foresters, so worked in the bush... My father used to bring native timber home and I learnt native timber very quickly," he said.

"I used to spend time in the woodshed with a pocket knife and I was always good with my hands and art. Very good at art."

"Teachers at school didn't like me very much because academically that wasn't me, but it started from there."

The artist was part of the first intake for the national carving school at Rotorua's New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute in 1967, learning under the late master carver Hōne Taiapa.

After graduating, he became a tutor and lecturer at the school before becoming Tumu Whakarae (head of the school) from 1983 to 1995.

"A good teacher is one that can assess the class, find out the strengths of the people in there and the weaknesses... most work will be done with those at the bottom of heap, the ones struggling, but you work with them to get them to the level of the first lot – now that's a good teacher," he said.

He left the school earlier this year after being master carver for 36 years.

"It was my whole life there. So when you spend a whole lifetime in an institute, it meant a lot," Fugill said.

"The one thing I learnt out of the whole experience is you had to have a passion for what you do. You don't have that passion – you're wasting your time."

Fugill's work can be seen from the stage at Te Matatini, the largest Māori carving to exist, to marae around the country.

World leaders and members of the British Royal Family have received his carvings as gifts.

Composer Tama Waipara is also focused on supporting the next generation of Māori musicians to thrive.

The musician has been made a Member of New Zealand Order of Merit for his service to Māori music.

"The important thing is the kaupapa so what's really being recognised is Māori music," he said.

"I'm just one teeny tiny part of a much bigger story that has a lot more people than just me connected to it."

Waipara said it was important to foster the talents of the "real wealth of incredible artists who are out doing their thing".

"I think just being proactive about supporting those emerging voices, young ones who are coming through, making sure that some of these opportunities people like me have had are of value to the next generations to come," he said.

The musician's talent was recognised at a young age when he played the clarinet, practicing for up to five hours a day.

After studying at the University of Auckland, he headed for the Manhattan School of Music in New York.

"It was a really tough place, highly competitive but I suppose if anything, it just taught you that anything was possible and if you work hard and put your mind to it, that you could achieve anything," he said.

The experience helped him to understand different perspectives and value the music scene in Aotearoa, he said.

Halfway through his studies, his life changed when a metal fusebox fell on his head. Waipara ended up in the hospital with a head injury.

Even after being discharged, he struggled to play the clarinet.

"There's quite a tight pressure around the embouchure – that's what they call it where you make the sound – and every time I tried to do it, I'd have black outs or vomiting and really it was not great," Waipara said.

"Rather than give up and come home, I just started doing anything I could to fill the time which included joining a jazz vocal group and that was sort of through a friend nudging me into it."

Waipara also caught the singing bug.

"It sort of just opened up a whole new world... once you get a taste of it, it's hard to let go."

He joined a band and a producer offered him a record contract after coming to a gig.

He yearned for Aotearoa so after graduating, Waipara decided to return home after seeing how acts like Fat Freddy's Drop had achieved success overseas while being based in New Zealand.

Since then, Waipara has been awarded for his music and composition.

"My passion was always for bringing all the worlds and environments of sound that I grew up with into one place and so I suppose that's where Te Ao Māori really fused itself and led the charge," he said.

Waipara founded Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival in 2019 and remains its chief executive and artistic director.

He wants to acknowledge New Zealand musicians who are making the world a better place by sharing their craft, he said.