Ringa Toi student artwork exhibition

He toi tupu, he toi ora, he toi i ahu mai i Hawaiki.

Tomokia ki te whare o Toi. Ko te whare nei i parua iho ki te muka rāwhiti, ki te neko, ki te kaitaka, ki te pakipaki – hei mātakitaki mō te ao whānui e.

Ringa Toi is an annual exhibition that showcases the artwork of secondary school students with a focus on Toi Māori and Pacific Arts at Excellence level.

The exhibition includes a range of Māori art forms in the following seven categories:

Toi Wharepora (contemporary and traditional weaving forms)
Toi Whakairo (carving)
Toi Matihiko (digital print where the reproduction processes have been completed by computer)
Toi Matatuhi (printmaking such as intaglio)
Toi Waituhi (paint, ink, and drawing)
Toi Matarau (shaping and fashioning)
Toi Whakaahua (photography with no digital manipulation)
Kaupapa Pasifika (Pasifika artwork).

Ringa Toi is recognised as a vehicle to enhance student engagement, achievement and encourage retention at school. It also provides a platform to advance the use of mātauranga Māori and Pacific knowledges and is a tool to accelerate Māori and Pacific learner success.

Each year over 80 artworks are submitted from ākonga around Aotearoa. Artworks in the exhibition are judged based on the above categories and awards are presented for the Highly Commended and Commended winners. Visitors to the exhibition can also vote for the People’s Choice Award recipient.

Who can exhibit artworks?

The exhibition is open to all secondary school and wharekura students working towards achieving NCEA levels 1 to 3 with a focus on Toi Māori and Pacific Art works at Excellence level. This may include mahi from, but not limited to, courses/subjects such as Visual Arts, Photography, Sculpture, Toi Ataata, Whakairo, Ngā Mahi a te Whare Pora, Niue Arts & Crafts.

Ākonga do not need to be studying an arts-based course/subject to participate in Ringa Toi. An example of this could include mahi from courses/subjects that are based on culture and language such as Te Ao Haka, Māori Performing Arts and Mau Rākau where ākonga create their own wearable piece like a maro or korowai, or Textiles and Design where ākonga might make kete, for example.

Ringa Toi Student Exhibition 2024

The 2024 Ringa Toi Exhibition was held at Te Papa Tongarewa in Wellington from 12 to 27 September 2024.

Over 150 toi Māori and Pasifika artworks by 123 ākonga from 45 secondary schools and kura were on display

2024 Feature Category: ‘Te Māori’

This year only, we are featuring a new artwork category to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the ‘Te Māori’ Exhibition. There is a separate award for this category.

There are over 40 artworks submitted that were created for this category to celebrate the spiritual essence and heart of Te Māori (Te Hokinga Mai – The Return Home) 40-year anniversary.

2023 Ringa Toi Student Exhibition – Celebrating Student Success

Over 154 artworks from ākonga across Aotearoa were exhibited at Te Papa last year.

We appreciate the support of our sponsors for the 2023 Ringa Toi Student Exhibition – The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Creative New Zealand, and Toi Māori Aotearoa.

You can view all the student artwork exhibited last year in the catalogue below.

Download the 2023 Ringa Toi Exhibition catalogue [PDF, 53 MB]