Erenora Puketapu-Hetet

Who was Erenora Puketapu-Hetet?

Erenora Puketapu-Hetet was a noted New Zealand weaver and author. She was a key figure in the Māori cultural renaissance and helped lift Māori weaving from a craft to an art. Of Te Atiawa descent, she grew up close to the marae in Waiwhetū near Wellington and moved to Te Kuiti after marrying Rangi Hetet, the master carver who had worked on the marae. While they lived in Te Kuiti, his grandmother, Rangimārie Hetet, taught her the arts of making korowai. They returned to Waiwhetū and she worked at Te Papa as Maori Protocol Officer/Advisor. Part of her work at Te Papa involved bridge-building between the Māori world and the European cultural institutions, leading to her featuring in a number of weaving-related works. A number of her works are in the collection at Te Papa.

In common with other Māori artists, she believed that art had a spiritual dimension and hidden meanings:

She wove using materials such as muka, paua shell, stainless steel wire and feathers, including kiwi feathers.

She was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2002 for services to weaving. She was appointed to the board of the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute in 2004. She was a member of the Queen Elizabeth Arts Council of New Zealand.