mairangiarts
✨ Meet Our HBAA Judges! ✨
We are absolutely honored to introduce the incredible judging panel for our upcoming 12th Hibiscus & Bays Art Awards.
Natanahira Pona
Natanahira Pona is a highly accomplished Whakairo (Māori carving) tutor & project manager with a career spanning over three decades. Holding a Bachelor of Applied Visual Arts & a Diploma from the New Zealand Māori Arts & Crafts Institute, he combines deep cultural expertise with practical, `on-the-floor` management skills.
Known for a calm & diplomatic approach, he excels as a mediator between artists, local councils, & community stakeholders, ensuring complex projects—such as the Matariki Rotorua festivals & more recently the Lake House Sculpture Symposium—are delivered safely & efficiently. We look forward to having him be a part of our judging panel for this exhibition.
Wiremu Taniwha Kingi rauauko Ngahuia Retimana oku tipuna ki te taha ko taku Matua. Rangi Herewaka Rata rauako Paiahua Karena oku tipuna ki te taha ko taku whaea. Ko Tutete Taniwha Kingi rauauko Mailie Rata oku maatua. Nga Puhi, Tu Wharetoa, Ngati Awa, Te Aopouri, Ngati Raukawa, Ngati Porou, Te Arawa oku Iwi.
Ko Matangirau, Mangamuka, Hirangi, Tunohopu oku marae.
Paul Slater
By day, Paul is a Creative Director working in news media—an industry he has been a part of for more than 30 years. Although originally trained as an illustrator, He now spends his working week in front of a screen, which drives his passion for returning to his studio to get "paint under his fingernails."
For Paul, painting is a vital way to reconnect with the human instinct to observe, interpret, & express the world around us. In an era where technology is rapidly changing how we create & consume images, he believes the ability of artists to communicate lived experience, emotion & meaning is more essential than ever.
Whether an artist is exploring complex ideas or simply making marks that bring pleasure & connection, he views creative expression as one of the most distinctively human things we do. He is honored to join the judging panel for this year`s awards & looks forward to a selection of work he knows will be both inspiring & humbling.
