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Best
of Maori Tourism Ltd.
Products
- Rotorua
Items
in this site may not be available due to sales.
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Greetings, I’m June Grant and my tribal group Te Arawa is located in the central North Island of Aotearoa, New Zealand. "Best
of Maori Tourism wins Best Small Business title at the 2001 Maori
Womens Business Awards"
- Daily Post May 2001 The high noble forehead, the soft gentle eyes and the striking countenance of June Grant bear unmistakable resemblance to Makareti Papakura; so is no surprise to learn that June is a direct descendant of Makareti - often referred to as Maggie. And like her relative, June is talented, artistic, articulate and intelligent. Maggie Papakura has had a strong influence on June’s life. Her achievements and entrepreneurial abilities have provided June with an exemplary role model, for Makareti Papakura was an indigenous woman of mana, majesty, capability and strength of character. It was written of Makareti that ‘it was her belief that a people is a great and living people only as it is mindful of it’s heritage.’ And for June, whose place of business is situated on the periphery of Whakarewarewa Village where thousands of tourists, in days gone by, were escorted through the wondrous scenic attractions of the area by Guide Maggie. She is daily reminded and inspired by her rich ancestry. June Grant, busy mother of four children and grandmother of two, is an artist and businesswoman. She’s had a lifelong interest in art but for many years her talent lay dormant and untapped until, at the age of thirty eight, she ‘went back to school’. In 1989 June graduated from Waiariki Polytechnic after completing a Maori Craft and Design course. The diploma she received was the culmination of four years full-time study and the outcome which produced a commitment to work on her own terms using her artistic skill. June had always wanted to work in art and so the establishment of Pohutu Prints, a business which she and fellow graduate, Merana Hall began two years ago, was the fulfillment of this desire. In her workroom June is able to give vent to her creativity. Pohutu Prints produces a totally original range of tee-shirts that are designed, printed, wholesaled and sold direct from the workshop. The inspired designs display a fresh contemporary approach which aptly reflect the traditional art of her ancestral Maori heritage. Don’t expect to find fluffy-sheep, trite phrases, or gimmicks on June’s tee-shirts instead they depict the strong cultural aspects of the Rotorua area. The ideas are based on the three disciplines of Maori art namely carving, weaving and the patterns painted on the rafters of meeting houses. The business also specialises in corporate logos and commercial murals each with it’s distinct design. June is a member of the Maori Businesswomen’s Network and she has recently become involved in The Best of Maori Tourism whose motives and aims are to promote Maori business. This business, located in downtown Rotorua, provides reservations, information and quality Maori products. In the future June cherishes the vision of seeing the establishment of a contemporary art complex - a hub of Maori culture - dedicated to employing Maori artists in facets of art such as weaving, bone carving, ceramics, multimedia and pottery. Whether involved in her business world or engrossed in her artistic realm, June is ever mindful of her background and ancestry. A book, The Old Time Maori, written by her ancestor Maggie Papakura and published eight years after her death, provides June with an invaluable account of Te Arawa, her people. It is an outstanding scholarly achievement and portrayal of love for one’s people. Makareti Papakura has left for posterity an example worthy of emulation and one for which June Grant is ever grateful. Above: June Grant, busy mother of four children and grandmother of two is an artist and businesswoman. June was born in 1949. She grew up and was educated in the three New Zealand towns of Wairoa, Wanganui and Rotorua. She is a direct descendant of Makareti Papakura, a well known guide of Whakarewarewa Village where thousands of tourists, in days gone by, were escorted through the wondrous scenic attraction of the area. Makareti has been a strong influence on June’s life and work. In 1989 June graduated from Waiariki Polytechnic with a Diploma in Craft Design Maori. This four year course provided her with a good working knowledge of several art disciplines, printmaking, painting, weaving, bone carving, carving and ceramics. In her final two years, June majored in paint and fibre, culminating in a series of work based on the wharenui (meeting house) in her tribal village, Whakarewarewa. June and a fellow
graduate established in 1991, Pohutu Prints, which produces a totally
original range of tee-shirts that are designed, printed and wholesaled
and sold direct from her workshop on the periphery of Whakarewarewa
Village.
Click here to see a selection of Junes exhibitions
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