Paku Taputapu

    Aronga Toi: Kaihoahoa, Ringatoi (Designer, Artist) Iwi: Tamahaki, Ngāti Hinekura, Ngāpuhi, Ngāi Tū-te-auru Akonga: Professor Johnson Witehira is of Tamahaki, Ngāti Hinekura, Ngāi Tū-te-auru descent, he is a distinguished designer, academic, and practicing artist. Johnson completed his Master's in Graphic Design in 2007 and his Doctorate in Māori visual arts in 2013. His projects have included the development of Māori typefaces, large-scale public artworks, and digital experiences. He is a member of the New Zealand Game Developers Conference Board, and his background spans multiple creative industries, including game design, product design, and spatial design, with a particular focus on innovative, Indigenous-led approaches. As an academic and researcher, his thoughts and writings on Māori design have been published across various platforms, including leading journals and books. Kaupapa: As an artist and designer, Johnson aims to bring Māori visual culture back into the lives of all Māori. Johnson deeply considers how we might apply mātauranga Māori to the contemporary world, acknowledging the intersecting relationships between indigenous culture, design, and technology. His digital works set out to encourage Māori to be independent creators of the tools and world we aspire to live in. Johnson’s exploration of contemporary Māori art and identity through digital technologies is balanced with his art practice, where Johnson reserves time to experiment, have fun, re-imagine, and collaborate with iwi.