Tukua Turia, of Auckland, MNZM for services to Cook Islands art and culture
Tukua Turia is a ‘Ta’unga Tivaivai’, an expert in the art of tivaivai, traditional Cook Island quilt-making. Her work has been collected by Te Papa Tongarewa and she is routinely commissioned by the Cook Islands Consulate to create gifts for dignitaries. She is a member of the Kuki ‘Airani Creative Mamas, a group of Cook Island women based in Mangere who gather for weekly activities. She led the group in a collaboration with fashion designer Karen Walker that was displayed at the Commonwealth Fashion Exchange exhibition at Buckingham Palace. Mrs Turia has tutored students in tivaivai at the University of Auckland, Massey University, and the Mangere Cook Islands Elderly Group