Te Aue Davis (1925-2010)

Te Aue Takotoroa Davis was a renowned weaver, historian, and advocate for Māori arts and culture. For her, innovation meant rediscovering the past as much as experimenting with the new.

At home in Waitomo

Te Aue Davis, of the iwi (tribes) Ngāti Maniapoto and Ngāti Uekaha, spent most of her life at Waitomo – ‘where my roots are’. Her life revolved around her hapū (subtribe), dairy farming, raising her whānau (family), and weaving.

Woven treasures

Te Aue had a profound knowledge of customary weaving and brought this knowledge to the weaving of many beautiful taonga (treasures). These included Te Mahutonga, a feather cloak gifted to the New Zealand Olympic team and first worn at the 2004 Games. She also restored many cloaks belonging to Dame Te Ātairangikaahu, the late Māori Queen.

Preserving Māori arts, culture, and heritage

Te Aue's passion stretched far beyond weaving itself – her interests and influence were vast. She was involved with many Māori arts, culture, and heritage groups, including Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa, the national Māori weavers’ collective.

She poured energy into the preservation of Māori heritage. Her primary focus was to preserve sites of spiritual significance to Māori. She was involved with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust and many other national organisations.

Conserving vital resources

Te Aue was equally passionate about conserving customary weaving resources. In particular, she campaigned for the conservation and restoration of pīngao (golden sand sedge). She helped persuade the Department of Conservation to give weavers access to a wide range of resources that had previously been off-limits.

A cultural and scholarly legacy

Te Aue received several honours for her contributions, including a Commemorative Medal in 1990, an OBE in 1993, and CNZM in 2005. Māori leader Sir Tīpene O’Regan said of her, ‘She has left behind a cultural and scholarly legacy for a huge number of Māori people whose lives she touched throughout New Zealand.’