“Embracing opportunities to tautoko, inspire, and empower.”
Kaitiaki Studios is an ever-evolving space of artistic development led by Artist/Designer Morgan Mathews-Hale.
Kaitiaki is the Te Reo Māori concept of guardianship, representing care and consideration and adapting ourselves internally as we exist in harmony with our natural world, with others in our lives, and within ourselves.
The principles of kaitiakitanga run through everything we do. We have a deep and personal connection to every artwork we create, and we are dedicated to building authentic, meaningful relationships with our clients.
We are open to all opportunities, from commercial commissions to individual and community projects.
NGĀ MĀTĀPONO Values
Support.
I am passionate about working on projects with purpose; projects where my work can make a genuine difference to our clients, no matter who they are. Taking pride in strong relationships with clients, offering support as consultants as well as an artist.
Connect.
My artwork provides connections for our clients, and I love seeing people engage with the pieces that resonate with them. During an engagement, I build connections between multiple stakeholders and bridge relationships between the different people and organisations involved.
Express.
I am a skilful visual artist, using creativity to explore and share narratives from the world around me. My artworks are deeply personal and through them, I can express my own values and ideals. I am deeply connected to each piece that we create, and my work is an extension of our emotional expression.
Explore.
Always looking for the opportunity for a new medium, on any kind of canvas, at any size. My art is unconstrained and driven by purpose, not by form. I love a challenge or an unconventional project and am always exploring new ways to develop as an artist.
Morgan Mathews-Hale
As an artist, Morgan has experience in many different creative sectors and meeting the demands for Aotearoa inspired artwork and designs at an international level.
Morgan is extremely ambitious and continues to find and explore new ways of creative expression. Her earliest art form was pencil sketches, which developed into exploring painting in various mediums while studying at Toihoukura. She was then trained as a tattooist by a collective of skilled artists at Expression Tattoo and Art Gallery and externally mentored by local tohunga who have helped integrate Māori narrative and traditional forms into her work.
With consistent work through Ariki Creative, she developed her skills in graphic design and using technology as yet another platform for creativity. This is the development of company branding, logos, replicating patterns, and basic layout for brochure/web, but has developed into a passion for spatial design and integrated and public artworks.
True to its name, Kaitiaki Studios has been a pillar of healing and personal growth for Morgan as she has grown into her identity as one of Ōtautahi's leading Māori wāhine artists.