Respected artist and political activist Robyn Kahukiwa (Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Ngāti Konohi, and Te Whānau-a-Ruataupare) died on Friday, surrounded by her whānau.
In a social media post, her whānau announced her passing, saying she died peacefully, wrapped in the “korowai of aroha and pōuritanga of the whānau.”
Kahukiwa rose to prominence in Aotearoa in the 1980s following the success of her touring exhibition Wāhine Toa (Strong Women), which celebrated the mana and stories of Māori women. She went on to become one of New Zealand’s leading book illustrators, with many publications and several prestigious book awards to her name.
A trailblazer in both traditional and contemporary Māori art, Kahukiwa also worked on collaborative projects with other indigenous communities, including those in the United States, Hawai’i, and Australia.
Her whānau said that, based on her political beliefs, she turned down state and Crown honours. However, in 2020, Kahukiwa accepted the Te Tohu Aroha mō Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu | Exemplary/Supreme Award at the Te Waka Toi Awards, in recognition of her life’s work.
Tēnā koutou katoa, Ko te reo pōhiri tēnei o te whānau Kahukiwa. Kua hinga te totara haemata o te Wao nui a Tāne a...
Posted by Reina Kahukiwa on Friday, April 11, 2025
Te Paeroa
E ai ki te whānau, ka haria te taonga o te mate ki Rotorua takoto ai ki te taha o tōna makau, o Dooley.
“Mum’s and Nanny’s private cremation will take place shortly at her request and when our whānau are ready we will take her back to Ngāti Whakaue to be with her makau, Dooley Kahukiwa, at Kauae.”
“It was Kōkā Robyn’s request that a small whānau gathering be held to honour her life. We have cherished the precious time we’ve had to be with her in her life and in her final weeks and days.”
Ko te reo o te wahine
Reacting to her passing, many have shared their kupu of acknowledgement and thanks.
Researcher and Māori rights champion Tina Ngata reflected on the impact that Kahukiwa had on her and other wāhine Māori.
“You brought an entire generation of wāhine into the light of our mana Ātua Wāhine, through your art, your voice, and your activism. I was one of them, a young wāhine paging through Wāhine Toa, captured by your artistry but even more so by the omniscient ancestresses you introduced me to, and their stories”.
Renowned Māori lawyer Annette Sykes acknowledged Kahukiwa as a close friend and mentor, but also as a “truly great leader in our movement”.
“He wahine pūrotu, he wahine māia hoki”.
