Ko wai mātou

Piata Art Collective is a platform for Māori and Pacific creativity, identity, and storytelling.

We are a collective of artists, designers, photographers, writers, educators | led by wāhine Māori and Pasifika | dedicated to shining light on the richness of our cultures through visual art, design, and resources.

The word piata means to shine, to sparkle, to glow. Our name reflects our mission, to illuminate Indigenous and Pacific excellence through art, and to provide platforms where our people can be seen, celebrated, and empowered.

We believe that creativity is more than self-expression, it is reindigenizing, it is reclamation, it is revival. Through digital and physical design, storytelling, photography, painting, and print, we bring to life the stories that live in our bloodlines.

As a collective, we are committed to:

Honouring the voices of our ancestors

Supporting intergenerational learning and identity

Providing accessible, high-quality Māori and Pacific art and resources

Creating space for collaboration, joy, and cultural restoration

Whether it’s through a printable journal page, a hand-painted canvas, or a photograph of your whenua, every offering is an invitation to reconnect with who you are and where you come from. Our mahi lives at the intersection of whakapapa and innovation. Through every product, artwork, and resource we create, we honour the depth of our tīpuna, while designing for our mokopuna.

Our Relationship with Purei

Purei a wāhine Māori-owned and operated business that designs culturally enriched games, activities, and educational resources inspired by Te Ao Māori.

Rooted in the meaning of its name | Purei (noun: game, competition, or play) | the business creates interactive tools that express mātauranga Māori through play. Each product embodies mātāpono (core values), pūrākau (origin stories), and Indigenous philosophies | made accessible for both Māori and Tauiwi.

Purei designs every detail through a Māori lens:
For Māori, by Māori, through the lens of a Māori, by the hands of a Māori.

Through Piata, Purei’s resources are made available under Ngā Rauemi a Purei, alongside original artworks (Toi Taketake) and prints/photography (Tānga me Ngā Whakaahua) by Māori and Pacific artists.

Together, we form a creative movement | reconnecting, reclaiming, and reimagining what it means to be Māori and Pacific in the modern world, while staying grounded in ancestral truth.

"Tihei mauri ora!"