In this exhibition you will discover the work of three New Zealand authors and illustrators who deal with tikanga Māori, practices and values that embody Māori knowledge and attitudes. Wairua means spirit, and refers to the realm beyond the visible world. Here we celebrate the illustrations of Robyn Kahukiwa, Gavin Bishop and Murray Grimsdale as valuable contributions to representing Māori perspectives in children’s literature. Like all good illustrations, which enhance and extend the stories they accompany and provide an opportunity for sustained looking, these images are powerful assertions of a Māori worldview.

In subjects that range from myths and legends set in other times and places, to events and issues that belong to our present, Wairua offers a chance to experience illustrations beyond the pages of a book, and to encounter the ongoing value of Māori subjects and knowledge within the imagination and visual culture of Aotearoa New Zealand.