“Ko Tapuika te whenua, ko Tapuika te tangata, ko Tapuika te iwi.”
With these words, artist and carver Jo’el Komene grounds us in the heart of Te Takapū o Tapuika – the belly of Tapuika, honouring the land, the people, and the whakapapa that shape identity and purpose.
Jo’el Komene (Ngā Puhi, Tapuika, Waitaha, Tainui) is not only a master carver and instrument maker – he is a storyteller of the land, using whakairo and taonga pūoro to reconnect our people to whenua and history, while projecting our culture into the future. For over two decades, Jo’el has carried the chisel with intention, turning wood, bone and stone into markers of legacy. From the intricate to the monumental, his works speak to the pulse of our people.
His formal training in whakairo was shaped through study at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, a place that nurtured his creative pathway and helped refine his craft. From there, Jo’el’s practice expanded into taonga pūoro, weaponry, and now large-scale public works.
One of his latest contributions is featured on the Rangiruru Business Park Bridge, part of the Tauranga Eastern Link. Here, Jo’el was part of a significant iwi collaboration. At the heart of this installation is the Pūhoro design, a powerful Te Arawa waituhituhi pattern symbolising speed and agility – concepts that connect traditional waka navigation to the flow of modern vehicles.
“Bringing the traditional into the contemporary, and linking to the old, to the tangata whenua, to the whakapapa of this land.”
These motifs do more than decorate concrete – they embed culture into infrastructure, turning public spaces into vessels of memory and meaning. For Tapuika, this bridge is not just an overpass, but a canvas of cultural resilience.
Jo’el’s mahi reflects the mauri of our strategic pou:
- Te Ihi – through advocacy, storytelling, and visibility of Māori creativity;
- Te Oro – through the expansion of taonga pūoro and carving in public spaces;
- Te Rongo – inspiring rangatahi to see carving and cultural design as viable, meaningful paths;
- Te Pū – reflecting the importance of authentic relationships between iwi and business through culturally embedded design.
His vision is intergenerational:
“I want to show my kids that there are really good opportunities to have a significant impact as Māori.”
At Haumanu, we celebrate the contributions of mātanga like Jo’el Komene who amplify our kaupapa not only through their creative genius, but through their deep aroha for people, place, and purpose.
Mauriora ki a koe, Jo’el – thank you for carving our presence into the land.
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