NCEA L1 Toi Ataata key terms

The Māori visual arts, covering carving, weaving, painting and related crafts. In NCEA Level 1 it is studied as a body of knowledge and practice grounded in tikanga and mātauranga Māori.

Māori knowledge and ways of knowing, passed down through generations. It includes understanding of materials, patterns, stories and protocols that underpin art-making, and is often contrasted with Western academic knowledge systems.

Māori customs, protocols and correct ways of doing things. For artists it shapes how materials are gathered, how works are made, who may make them, and how finished works are handled or gifted.

The protocols of a particular marae, group or situation. Kawa sets expectations for behaviour and ceremony, and artists working with communities often need to observe local kawa rather than assume a single universal rule.

Genealogy and lines of descent linking people to ancestors, land and natural resources. Artists use whakapapa to establish rights to particular designs and materials, and it often appears as a structuring idea in artworks.

Extended family, the basic social unit in Māori society. Artworks are frequently made for or on behalf of whānau, and the term also describes a supportive group working together on a project.

A sub-tribe made up of related whānau groups that share descent from a common ancestor. Hapū identity often determines ownership of designs, land and resources used in art-making.

A large Māori tribal grouping composed of related hapū. Iwi hold collective identity and history, and iwi authorities are often involved in decisions about cultural material and its use.

The authority and rights a group holds over land through long occupation and descent. It matters to artists because access to materials such as stone, timber or clay generally requires the consent of mana whenua.

The people of the land, meaning those with ancestral ties to a particular place. The term is used when discussing who has the right to speak for, and make decisions about, that place.

The responsibility to guard and care for people, places and resources. In art practice it covers sustainable harvesting of materials and looking after finished works and the knowledge they carry.

A communal meeting place with buildings and open ground used for gatherings. Its parts, including the wharenui and ātea, are themselves artworks and are often studied as examples of Māori design and carving.

The main meeting house on a marae, often understood as a representation of an ancestor. Its carvings, panels and painted beams are a major source of study for composition, pattern and symbolism.

Māori carving, traditionally in wood, stone or bone. It uses defined surface patterns and figure forms, and each work may reference ancestors, events or places rather than function as pure decoration.

Painted rafter patterns in a wharenui, typically in red, black and white. The patterns use flowing curves and repeated motifs, and are analysed for rhythm, balance and symbolic meaning.

Woven lattice panels set between carvings inside a wharenui. Made from crossed stalks and dyed fibres, they combine structural function with pattern, and are studied for texture, colour and motif.

Māori weaving, especially of flax into baskets, mats and clothing. It is taught as a technical skill and as a practice governed by tikanga, including how and when flax is harvested.

A traditional finger-weaving technique used to make garments such as cloaks. It differs from lattice weaving and is valued for the close fabric it creates and the skill required to master it.

New Zealand flax, the main plant used in Māori weaving. Artists learn which blades to cut and which to leave, following a practice that protects the plant's growth and reflects whānau relationships.

A cloak with long, hanging flax tags, often worn by people of high rank. Its construction and decoration carry status and history, and it is a common example when discussing fibre art and adornment.

A native tree with bright yellow flowers. Its name is shared with the colour yellow in te reo Māori and with the painted pattern tradition, so context is needed to tell which meaning is intended.

Greenstone or nephrite found mainly in the South Island. It is carved into tools, ornaments and weapons, and is treated as a treasure with its own protocols rather than as an ordinary raw material.

A small pendant carved from pounamu or other stone, worn around the neck. It is a well-known form studied for its stylised figure, proportions and the way it is passed down through generations.

A treasure, whether an object, a resource or a piece of knowledge. Taonga are valued for their connections to people and history, and their care is a responsibility rather than simple ownership.

Talk, discussion or a narrative. In art study it refers to the stories and explanations that accompany works, and to the spoken account an artist may give of their process and intent.

Traditional stories that carry history, values and knowledge. Artists often draw on pūrākau for subject matter, and analysis of a work may involve identifying which story it refers to and why.

Māori skin marking, distinguished from tattoo by its use of carved grooves and its specific cultural protocols. It records identity and status, and is a frequent subject in visual arts discussion.

Prestige, authority and spiritual power that a person or object may hold. In art, mana can be affected by who made a work, who owns it and how it is treated, so handling matters.

A state of restriction or sacredness attached to people, places or objects. It governs behaviour around certain materials and artworks, and is often balanced by practices that lift restriction.

The state of being free from restriction, the ordinary counterpart to tapu. Artists and communities use rituals to move between tapu and noa states during making, opening or handling of works.

A prayer or incantation spoken to acknowledge spiritual elements and seek guidance or safety. It may open a project, accompany the gathering of materials or mark the completion of a work.

A greeting or acknowledgement, often formal, that identifies the speaker and their connections. When discussing an artwork, a mihi can establish the speaker's relationship to the work and its community.

A gift or contribution given in recognition of hospitality or in exchange for something received. It is not a fixed price, and understanding this matters when discussing exchange of artworks.

A recurring visual element or shape used to build a pattern or composition. In Māori design, motifs such as spirals and notches carry names and meanings, so identifying them accurately is part of analysis.

A spiral motif based on the unfolding fern frond, associated with growth and new life. It appears in carving, painting and jewellery, and its direction and proportion are often discussed.

A repeated arrangement of shapes, lines or colours. In this subject, pattern is analysed for rhythm, balance and symbolism, and students are expected to describe how repetition and variation are used.

The arrangement of elements within a work, including balance, focal point and use of space. Analysis of composition explains how the viewer's eye is guided and how meaning is supported by layout.

The art of carving as a named field of Māori practice. Studying it involves recognising regional styles, reading figure and surface patterns, and understanding the protocols around wood and stone.