Ideas, guides and stories about New Zealand wall art - from choosing the right print size to understanding the cultural depth behind Māori-inspired design. Everything we know about art in NZ homes and spaces, written down.
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The Māori cloak - kākahu - is one of the most significant taonga in Aotearoa, carrying whakapapa, mana and cultural story in every thread. This guide covers the main cloak types (kahu huruhuru, kaitaka, pāero, korowai and more), the materials and techniques used, who wears them and when, what the Te Papa Tongarewa collection tells us, and how cloak symbolism continues to inspire contemporary Māori art. -
In the oral traditions of Te Arawa, Kurangaituku has long been cast as the villain - wild, fearsome and ultimately destroyed. But read her story carefully and something else emerges: a keeper of birds and precious cloaks, a healer of the injured, a master weaver, a woman betrayed by the person she sheltered. This guide tells the legend in full, explores how it has been retold across generations - from Joy Cowley's beloved school reader to Whiti Hereaka's award-winning novel - and introduces the Willa Black Prints Kura art print, which reimagines Kurangaituku not as monster but as the powerful, beautiful heroine she becomes when the story is finally hers to tell. -
Professional framing is always the ideal - but it shouldn't stop anyone from owning art they love. This guide covers how to buy budget-friendly frames in New Zealand and Australia, which standard sizes to look for, where to shop (Kmart, Spotlight, The Warehouse, IKEA, local framers), the difference between glass and acrylic, how to hang artwork safely, and why buying the print first and upgrading the frame later is always the right call. -
Authentic Māori art isn't defined by a single style or whether something "looks Māori." This guide explores what authenticity really means - the story behind the work, the artist's connection, the respect for tikanga and whakapapa - and why contemporary Māori art printed, digital or illustrative is just as legitimate as carved or woven taonga. It addresses common misconceptions, explains why provenance matters, and describes the Willa Black Prints approach to creating meaningful contemporary Māori art for modern homes. -
Whanaungatanga is one of those Māori words that carries an entire worldview — connection, relationship and kinship that reaches far beyond blood ties. This blog explores what whanaungatanga means, why it includes chosen as well as inherited family, and how the new Willa Black Prints Whanaungatanga retro print translates this value into a bold contemporary visual form that remains intentionally open to every family's own story. -
In July 2026, kaitiakitanga was named the world's most beautiful word by Babbel — chosen from 223 words across 75 languages. But the real beauty isn't in how it sounds. It's in what it asks of us: to guard and protect what we inherit, not just for ourselves but for the generations who follow. This blog explores the meaning of kaitiakitanga beyond conservation, why artists can be kaitiaki too, and how the new Willa Black Prints Retro Collection brings this enduring Māori value into contemporary homes alongside Whanaungatanga and Koha.