Awhina Tamarapa is a New Zealand Māori museum curator and writer in the field of museum studies.[1] She has tribal affiliations to Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Ruanui and Ngāti Pikiao.[2][3]
Tamarapa has a Master of Philosophy in Museum Studies from Massey University, a Bachelor of Māori Laws and Philosophy from Te Wānanga o Raukawa, Otaki and a Bachelor of Arts from Victoria University of Wellington, majoring in anthropology.[2][4]
She has held several positions at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa: collection manager, concept developer and curator. Exhibitions she has curated for the museum include Kahu Ora/Living Cloaks (2012) and the Ngāti Toa Rangatira iwi exhibition, Whiti Te Ra! The Story of Ngāti Toa Rangatira.
Tamarapa has been a guest speaker in the museum heritage studies post-graduate programme at Victoria University of Wellington for a number of years. She has also written and edited publications on Māori artefacts. She wrote Whatu Kākahu/Māori Cloaks (2011) with Rangi Te Kanawa and Anne Peranteau. This book was a finalist in the New Zealand Post Book Awards 2012 and winner of the arts category in the Kupu Ora Māori Book Awards in 2012.[2]
- ^ "Awhina Tamarapa: biography and interview". Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, NZ. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
- ^ a b c "Awhina Tamarapa | Stout Research Centre for New Zealand Studies | Victoria University of Wellington". www.wgtn.ac.nz. 25 November 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
- ^ "Bicultural vision boosts museum career". www.waateanews.com. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
- ^ Tamarapa, Awhina (2015). The role of a museum (Te Papa) in the rejuvenation of taonga puoro (Masters thesis). Massey Research Online, Massey University. hdl:10179/7563.