What is Aotearoa design?

What is te hoahoa o Aotearoa?
Who are ngā kaihoahoa o Aotearoa?
What defines design in Aotearoa New Zealand today?

These are some reflections after our design exhibition “In the Making” last week.

The exhibition truly felt like something more than a show — it felt like a movement. A designer-led exhibition honouring materials and making. I have come away from the event feeling a real sense of optimism and hope for the future of Aotearoa design. There is so much potential bubbling under the surface here in New Zealand.

Over the past week I exhibited alongside 22 other designers. Some I knew, most I didn’t — ranging from emerging graduates to well-known names in the industry. Seeing this small cross-section of the wider design community left me both surprised and impressed.

Being immersed in the exhibition space, hearing designers speak about their work, and getting to know the other ngā kaihoahoa made me reflect on what te hoahoa o Aotearoa (design) and toi ringa (handcraft) might mean right now.

Who are the designers of Aotearoa?
What unites us?
What makes us different?

A few somewhat contrasting ideas came to mind.

Ngā kaihoahoa o Aotearoa are humble

We do the mahi — and that includes sweeping the floors.

The work may be special, but we are not.
No egos here.

Ngā kaihoahoa o Aotearoa are incredibly creative

I have been continually impressed by the cleverness and resourcefulness of this group. This may be due in part to the diversity of backgrounds — multilingualism, biculturalism, and different cultural perspectives that shape how we see the world.

And perhaps also out of necessity. Being geographically isolated often requires us to be inventive.

The result is work that feels original, thoughtful, and well resolved.

Te hoahoa o Aotearoa has a sense of purity

There is a clarity of vision in the work.

A combination of expressiveness and restraint results in objects that feel easy to understand and grounded in purpose.

There is also a purity in materials — predominantly wood, wool, metal, and glass.

Ngā kaihoahoa o Aotearoa are leaders

But not always in the traditional sense.

We may not all be natural-born leaders, yet we often become the quiet leaders — stepping forward when something needs to happen and no one else has taken the initiative.

Ngā kaihoahoa o Aotearoa are quietly confident

We tend to let the work speak for itself.

Aotearoa designers often sit slightly on the introverted side. We warm up slowly — in the best possible way — because the work comes from a genuine place.

Ngā kaihoahoa o Aotearoa are independent thinkers with a collaborative mindset

We are comfortable working independently, but we also recognise the value of working together.

There is an understanding that collaboration allows us to achieve more than we could alone.

Looking back on the exhibition, it feels like a glimpse of something that is still emerging — a design culture that is forming its own identity.

I’m excited to see what the next decade brings for Aotearoa design.