The Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award
Jazmin Tainui Mihi Paget-Knebel
(Te Whanau-A-Apanui, Whakatohea, Ngapuhi, Ngati Hine)
Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award
New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata
Shed 11, Wellington Waterfront
22 May - 17 August 2025
The Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award is a competition that encourages young Maaori artists to create portraits of their tupuna (ancestors) in any medium. The Award is hosted and administered by Te Pūkenga Whakaata the New Zealand Portrait Gallery in honour of the late Maaori King, Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII.
The winner of this year’s award is Jazmin Tainui Mihi Paget-Knebel for her photograph Taniwha Chasers.
Jazmin Tainui Mihi Paget-Knebel, Taniwha Chasers
Judges' comments:
“Jazmin’s ‘Taniwha Chasers’ is an uplifting, joyful image that captures the heart of our time. It is full of hope and youthful energy, offering a fresh perspective on connecting with our tūpuna and te taiao. Viewers are carried along with the young rider into a future that feels increasingly uncertain.
The young rider, his galloping horse, the raised flag, and the brooding land all merge wonderfully to convey this powerful message. The horse—once a symbol of colonization—has been reclaimed as part of our whakapapa and ongoing struggle.
The message is bright and clear, the composition is strong, and the scale and presentation are striking. The work is in black and white, but you can sense the richness of the scene.
For the judges, it was a unanimous choice—each of us read the work in the same way.”