Tūru

Artist Statement

Every student in Aotearoa New Zealand deserves the unalienable right to sit, learn, and access

Te Reo Māori within their educational journey. Tūru critically examines current political stances

aimed at diminishing Te Reo Māori usage across pre-school and primary education.

The work centers on an everyday chair coated in New Zealand National Party blue paint,

encapsulating state authority and political intervention in language governance. On the seat, the

te reo word Tūru is being erased with a bold red cross. This gesture physically and symbolically

denies the viewer a place to sit, mirroring the way language policy denies young learners

access to a fundamental component of New Zealand’s national identity and heritage.

Materials & Processes: Used wooden and steel school stool and children's wooden

chair, New Zealand National Party blue enamel spray paint, acrylic screen-printing inks.

• Dimensions

• Tūru (Chair) L × W × H 40 x 37 x 79 cm

• Tūru (Stool) L × W × H 34 x 36 x 54 cm