Te Rongo Kirkwood

Who is Te Rongo Kirkwood?

Te Rongo Kirkwood is a Māori heritage artist from Auckland, New Zealand, known for her glass art, particularly in fused and slumped glass.

Her works have won recognition in a range of competitions and exhibitions, including being selected as one of 33 finalists in the Australian Ranamok awards and being selected for participation in the Bombay Sapphire Blue Room exhibition in 2007 and a Matariki-themed exhibition organised by Manukau City Council in 2009. In 2009 she won the Auckland Royal Easter Show art awards in the glass art category with her 'Puawai' piece. She has also contributed to the Project Twin Streams project in Waitakere by producing a major artwork near the pathway at Millbrook Esplanade.

She credits her initial interest in glass art to meeting Danny Lane in the UK. When she returned to New Zealand, her interest grew, but with two young children, she was not able to attend a formal multi-year course in glass art at a university, and so became a self-taught glass artist.