Te Whenua Moemoea



Introducing Te Whenua Moemoea, a work born from healing, reflection, and return. Created following recent travels to Australia, this piece emerged during a deeply restorative period after the end of an engagement. It marks a calling back—to the stomach, to being, to alignment, and to the self. Dedicated to travellers, navigators, seers, and believers, this work honours both physical journeys across land and the inner journeys that require care and attention.

The many layers within the piece each represent a place travelled to, land-wise, while also symbolising the layers within that needed healing. Te Whenua Moemoea speaks to bonds that exist beyond time—connections that are never truly cut, but instead transformed and morphed into new ties.

Details
  • Size: A2
  • Measurements: L 59cm × W 42cm
  • Materials: Harakeke (handmade in Ngāi Tahu at a wānanga)

Te Whenua Moemoea embodies restoration and connection, offering a heartfelt reflection on travel, transformation, and the enduring nature of human bonds.

Fern Ngatai is a tā moko artist and visual artist from Tāmaki Makaurau, raised on the whenua of Te Kawerau ā Maki. Her work is rooted in connection, culture, movement, and storytelling, often created on harakeke paper to honour memory, material, and identity. Each piece invites you to slow down and feel story through form and line.
All proceeds from this artwork go directly to the artist.


BACK / ABOUT FERN