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The Bachelor of Māori Visual Arts graduate has secured an internship at Artspace Aotearoa - a public contemporary art gallery in Auckland - where she will curate her own programme while supporting the gallery’s wider work.

Emily initially planned to study design, but a first-year elective in Ngā Hanga Whakairo changed everything. She says learning about Māori visual arts for the first time made her realise where she truly belonged.

“I loved it and it changed my entire degree to Māori visual arts. This decision set me on a journey that shaped my artistic practice and my connection to te ao Māori.”

Having not grown up fully immersed in te ao Māori, Emily says the degree became her way to reconnect with her Māoritanga.

“Māori visual arts was my connection to te ao Māori, and to my Māoritanga. The degree’s grounding in Māori values and world views gave me both creative confidence and a stronger sense of belonging.”

That strong sense of belonging was also reflected in her wider student experience, especially through Te Rau Tauawhi Māori student support, which helped Emily with more than just her studies

“I made the most of what Te Rau Tauawhi had to offer students. They helped me to change my degrees and apply for graduation, scholarships, jobs and more. These relationships became one of the most important parts of my student experience.”

That support, alongside the confidence she built through her studies, helped open the door to creative opportunities during her time at Massey.

One of those opportunities was the Nau Mai mural, which Emily helped create alongside fellow artist Toka Poa. The mural is in the Māori student room above tussock, which welcomes tauira Māori into the Pukeahu campus. This was Emily’s first ever commission and remains one of her proudest projects.

“I’m pleased to leave a bit of myself in that space to welcome many more tauira Māori, just as it did to me.”

Since graduating, Emily has continued to progress her career through the arts and heritage sector, completing further study, developing exhibitions and workingacross major cultural institutions including Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and Waitangi Treaty Grounds.

Those experiences have now led to her new one year internship role at Artspace Aotearoa, where she is curating Rerekē, the 2026 programme for The Kit, the gallery’s area for wānanga, exhibitions and experimental arts programming. Emily is excited to create space for ringatoi Māori and the wider community to challenge boundaries, celebrate difference and explore bold new ways of working.

Reflecting on her time at Massey, Emily says the creative environment helped prepare her well for the realities of the contemporary arts sector.

“Being surrounded by artists, ideas and people equally passionate about the work gave me the confidence to experiment, refine my practice and learn by doing.”