Dr Maureen Lander, of Whangamata, MNZM for services to Māori art
Dr Maureen Lander is a leading exponent of raranga (weaving) and installation art. She learnt whatu kākahu (cloak-making) skills from Diggeress Te Kanawa, and her works have been shown in key exhibitions in New Zealand and overseas.
Her exhibition ‘Flat-Pack Whakapapa’, organised by the Dowse Art Museum, is currently touring nationally. She was Senior Lecturer in Māori Material Culture at the University of Auckland’s Māori Studies Department and has continued to mentor aspiring Māori artists and kairaranga (weavers) after retiring from university lecturing.
Dr Lander was the first person of Māori descent to gain a doctorate in Fine Arts from a New Zealand university.