Nui Stretch

Raised in the countryside, north of Tamaki Nui-A-Rua and Dannevirke in the lower North Island, Nui Stretch has the distinction of having two parallel careers in wood- as a guitar maker and carver.

He studied in Arizona in the United States, then undertook an apprenticeship for 11 years under one of the world’s most respected luthiers, Roger Bucknall (MBE) of Fylde Guitars in Penrith, England.

His skills in Kōwhaiwhai and Toi whakairo (wood carving) has also developed under the guidance of well-known Ngāti Toa Rangatia kaiwhakairo, Hermann Salzmann.

He often works with American Swamp Ash Wood, a material that resembles whalebone, “it’s got that cellular structure where the pores are quite open”.  While American Swamp Ash Wood is traditionally used for guitar making, Nui has merged his knowledge and skills in guitar-making to develop his own distinctive style within his Toi Whakairo journey.