Artist - Lance Ngata

Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Ngāti Ira, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Whātua

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From the small towns of Uawa and Turangi, Aotearoa , Lance is a Māori Artist and Designer specialising in Tā moko (Māori tattoo).

 

Lance has a background in whakairo (Māori carving), design, film, brand strategy and development. He was immersed in Māori visual arts during his time at Te Aute College, before going onto complete a Bachelor of Media Arts majoring in Visual Arts. 
 

After working for creative agencies abroad, Lance shifted his focus to teaching, completing a Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Art/Tech) at Waikato University, while working for 5years at the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute (NZMACI) in Rotorua. Lance was fortunate to travel with NZMACI/Te Puia on cultural projects, engaging many indigenous communities around the world. 

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Lance's interest in Tā moko sparked at the age of 12yrs old when we witnessed his Aunty receive her moko kauwae at a wānanga, at Otukou Marae. After 20yrs of learning relevant skills and knowledge, Lance returned to Turangi to teach Art & Whakairo at the local kura, while developing his work in tā moko. He established Mau Studio Ink in 2017 as a shared learning space to promote Māori knowledge systems and Māori art. Lance finds enormous satisfaction and pride in the work he now does for each person he connects with. His journey can be followed via facebook @Mau Studio Ink, OR on instagram @lance_ngata.