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As we entered the upstairs space, she proudly introduced us to Queenie— the mannequin gifted to her from a bestie that we came to know as a tipua, who holds her fabric studies and design experiments as they evolve. The presence of Queenie felt entirely natural here: another part of the quiet whakapapa of objects, materials, and relations that fill Nayesha’s practice.

That morning she arrived wearing a kaupapa T-shirt from Ihumātao. Two polished gemstones rested gently over her eyes — a small gesture holding space for both wairua and grounding. On her own handmade shirt, stitched in honour of her kuia Isabelle Waitī Mulholland, sat the roimata toroa (albatross tears) on each sleeve, with a manaia centred across her back. Every part of it carried intention, whakapapa, and care.

As we closed our time together, she reflected on the words of Hana Burgess and Te Kahurātai Painting: “Being in good relation is decolonisation.”

In many ways, that ethic sits at the centre of both her making and her contribution to Whāia Te Waiora.

As the rain padded its gentle rhythm through the upstairs windows of Open Café, we asked Nayesha to reflect on where she comes from, and how that shapes her work.

No hea koe? Ko wai koe?

Nayesha:

Interesting question. I feel connected and from a lot of different places. I whakapapa to Ruatoria and Ngāti Porou. Ko Ngāti Porou te iwi. I do want to acknowledge my kuia, ko Isabel Waiti Mulholland, she is the best and I love her so. I always want to acknowledge my kuia.

I grew up in Christchurch and went to high school in Auckland, Tāmaki as well, so I feel connected to a lot of different places. I moved to Karangahape in my twenties and have been here ever since — so I’ve been here probably close to ten years.

Ko Nayesha ahau, Nayesha Mulholland. I’m a maker,a learning weaver and researcher. I’m a textile designer; I studied textile design at AUT but I’ve been making and drawing for my whole life. I am obsessed with fabric and fibre and what it can do for our spirit. I love the way that cloth feels, not just physically, but as you carry it around with you day to day. It has a real beautiful way of setting the tone for your day. That’s all I am — I’m basically cloth.

From there, our conversation turned to Karangahape Road itself — and how it has become an anchor for both her creative practice and her sense of belonging.

What makes Karangahape Road special to you & your whānau?

Nayesha: 

In so many ways Karangahape is special to me. I’ve never felt the wairua of this place anywhere else. The wairua is different and unique here, I’ve never felt anything like it before. I have been wholly embraced; all my quirks and crack up nature and downfalls or moments of celebration. The people I have met here have embraced it all and I haven’t found that anywhere else.

My whānau in my personal life haven’t grown up on Karangahape Road but I have found that same sense of whānau here. It’s really cool to have that whānau I grew up with as a kid and also that whānau that I’ve found as an adult, and having those come together — it’s really special.

On the corner of Howe Street and Karangahape Road you can see both Maungawhau and Te Waitematā. It’s grounding for me. As Māori living in the city and on around that corner, being able to see those markers reminds me of my connection — even in the middle of the city.

As part of Whāia Te Waiora, Nayesha has led one of the three whānau sections along the Hapori Rori Steering Committee — shaping her part of the kaupapa in response to Teare Turetahi’s Te Puna o Te Ao Mārama and the whetū that guide this season. We asked her to reflect on what it has meant to carry that leadership and be part of this wider collective unfolding.

Reflections on the Process — being part of the Hāpori Rori Steering Committee kaupapa

Nayesha:

It is a really special kaupapa to be a part of. It felt really grounded in whakawhanaungatanga and wānanga, and it was very collaborative. I think that’s one of the things that I loved the most about it — we were able to have all of these amazing conversations and wānanga leading up to making decisions about the kaupapa.

Everyone was there from the start. That was something that I really valued and it made the work feel a lot more connected and intentional, and like it was made with aroha.

I think one of the most beautiful things is that it’s been very whānau led. So many different people from different backgrounds, different kaupapa, different stages of their journey came into the space and were able to contribute and were heard, which I think is quite rare sometimes. It was really beautiful to see how open everyone was to learning and to listening and to contributing their whakaaro. And I think for me, that just made it feel really safe.

I think that’s something that I’ve taken into my own practice now as well, is that sometimes it’s not necessarily about having an answer or knowing what the outcome is, but it’s just being able to sit and listen and to wānanga and to move through things collectively.

As we talked further, we asked Nayesha how that sense of collective care carried through the wider kaupapa.

What did it feel like to be included in something built by community — not just for community?

Nayesha: 

It felt really safe and intentional. When you have community at the heart of kaupapa like this, there’s a lot more care that goes into decision making. It’s not just about the outcome, but how you get there as well. That’s where you see the real aroha come through.

One particular wānanga stayed close to her heart.

Were there particular moments, wānanga, or conversations that shaped your perspective?

Nayesha: 

One of the wānanga where we were talking about whakapapa really stood out to me. The idea that whakapapa isn’t just your genealogy, but your connection to the whenua, to your community, to your mahi, to your materials — that really resonated with me, especially as a fibre artist.

I think about where my materials come from, who has worked with them before me, who’s touched them, who’s grown them. That was a really special kōrero to have and has stayed with me.

Reconnecting with making — imagination reawakened

As we talked about her evolving practice, Nayesha shared a very personal reflection on how this kaupapa has helped open her creative world again.

Nayesha: 

There was definitely a period where I wasn’t making anything. I had quite a few years where I didn’t really make anything outside of work or study. And now I feel like I can’t turn my imagination off. I’ll be walking somewhere or I’ll be sitting somewhere and be like, ‘that would be cool’, or ‘I want to try that’.

It feels really good to be making for myself again. And to make from a place where my whakapapa, my materials, and my imagination can all sit together.

As a maker deeply attuned to materiality, she spoke to the power of taonga toi to shift how people engage with place.

The Role of Taonga Toi — how are these artworks creating a sense of place, identity, and wellbeing?

Nayesha: 

Taonga toi has the ability to bring people into a space of reflection. Especially in places like Karangahape Road where it’s really busy and vibrant and there’s a lot going on, having moments where people can pause and engage with mahi toi creates an opportunity to reflect and to connect with the kaupapa.

You can feel the mauri in the work and you can feel the aroha that’s gone into it. And that’s really special.

With the Ahurei drawing near, we asked what she was looking forward to most.

Looking Ahead: The Ahurei — what are you most looking forward to?

Nayesha: 

I’m looking forward to seeing the road come alive — seeing everyone walking the street and engaging with the mahi toi and having those conversations. Matariki is a time for reflection and for setting intentions for the year ahead, and I think this kaupapa creates a space for people to do that, even if it’s just in small ways — even if it’s just having a conversation with someone or pausing in front of a work.

At its heart, Whāia Te Waiora creates space for people to encounter that collective care.

If someone visits Karangahape Road during the Ahurei, what do you hope they walk away with?

Nayesha: 

I hope that they walk away feeling that they’ve been welcomed into the space. That they’ve experienced the manaaki that’s at the heart of the kaupapa, and that they’ve seen and felt the care that’s gone into the mahi and into the road itself.

We asked Nayesha about the connections she’s carried with other artists throughout this kaupapa.

Connections with other artists and kaupapa

Nayesha:

I didn’t get to meet Teare [Turetahi], but through meeting his whānau and being part of this kaupapa, I feel like I’ve met him in a way. His energy is really present here.

Ron Te Kawa is someone who has been such a huge influence on me as a fibre artist. The generosity of knowledge that Ron holds, and the way he shares his practice and opens up his knowledge — that’s really beautiful. It’s definitely shaped how I approach my own making. 

I want to acknowledge Christy Tennent here and the magnetic nature of Open. Her tautoko has meant we have been able to build from dreams and follow whatever path unfolds in front of us, to look after our people and ground ourselves in manaakitanga. It’s a huge privilege to be by her side in community.

We closed with her reflections on what this kaupapa leaves her with.

Closing Reflections — what are you carrying forward from this experience?

Nayesha:

One of the big things that I’ll carry forward is the importance of making space for artists and creatives to bring their whole selves to kaupapa like this.

Our mahi is always connected to whakapapa — whether that’s to people, to place, to material. That’s something that I’ve really valued through this process.

As we came to the end of our time together, before we closed with karakia and chocolate lolly cake from La Noisette, Nayesha reached for this passage from Onamata, Anamata by Hana Burgess and Te Kahurātai Painting. She offered it as a way to hold the shape of our kōrero:

Through whakapapa, all of existence is whanaunga, existing in a natural state of whanaungatanga...

We propose that being in relation is ‘good’ as whakapapa has inherent value in Te Ao Mārama.

Relationships constitute who we are. Within this worldview, nothing exists in isolation. In fact, the notion of isolation is a fallacy. Everything in existence is infinitely and complexly in relation all the time. This shapes a reality of interdependency, where the well-being of the whole is dependent on the well-being of its closely related components, and vice versa.

When these relationships are at their natural state of balance, we are well.

In knowing our whakapapa, we can come to know how to be in good relation. Fulfilling these obligations brings intimacy, wellness, and joy. Knowing our whakapapa brings us joy.

In many ways, this wānanga with Nayesha unfolded as the kaupapa itself has: slowly, intentionally, through shared relation — where care was given to both the words we spoke and the space we held together. To experience what Nayesha spoke of yourself, check out the activities on Karangahape Road this Matariki as part of Whāia Te Waiora: 19 - 21 June.