Mrs Sulieti Fieme’a Burrows, MNZM, for services to Tongan art and education
Mrs Sulieti Fieme’a Burrows, MNZM, for services to Tongan art and education
Sulieti Fieme’a Burrows has created ngatu (tapa paintings), kahoa heilala (neck adornments) and other forms of Tongan art in New Zealand since the 1970s. She and her daughter worked on a project to revitalise tapa-making in her home village of Falevai, and she has since travelled the world delivering workshops and talks. She has presented several international exhibitions, and her work has been acquired by Auckland and Otago museums. She volunteered for Hospital Hector Trust Group, selling her craft to fundraise for medical equipment. She volunteered as an arts educator at Akoteu Kato Kakala Tongan pre-school in Ōtara. Mrs Burrows is an active member of the Manurewa Methodist Church.