WHARE HAU TUTŪ
Our Story
Whare Hau Tutū began in 2021 as a kaupapa Māori vision between longtime friends and creatives Julz and Kiri Leach. Grounded in whanaungatanga, they collaborated on community-led projects that strengthened their shared values of connection, creativity, and building capacity.
These early experiences laid the foundations for Whare Hau Tutū — a space for everyone, rooted in kaupapa Māori. The moment of commitment came in 2023, at the Healing Our Spirits Worldwide Conference in Vancouver, where they knew it was time to say YES and make it real.
Our Vision
To provide creative spaces and places for adults to play, share, learn and engage in the creative process, encouraging connection, creativity innovation and story telling.
Whare Hau Tutū [the Whare] is a space, that is fully resourced with resources, tools and equipment to play and create to your hearts content. From leatherwork to painting, to block/lino printing to jewellery making to collage to sewing, to design to screen-printing to anything you can conjure up. We supply some new, recycled and sustainable resources and welcome koha to supply creativity at its fullest!
Our Team
Te Whanau-a-Apanui, Tangahoe, Ngāruahine, Tainui
Raranga Harakeke
Raranga Korero
Raranga Tangata
Julz
Ngāti Konohi me Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti
Digital Artist - Tutū from the Rā
Kiri
Te Paatu, Ngāti Kahu, Maniapoto, Te Arawa, Ngāti Konohi me Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti
Māmā - Flagger - Freedom Baker
Jesse-Lee
Ngāti Porou, Rongowhakaata, Ngai Tāmanuhiri me Ngāti Maniapoto
Ringa Tā Moko - Hokianga Arts
Jayden
Creativity with purpose and process without intention
The process of walking through the door, to picking up a pencil, a paintbrush, a needle, a knife. The process of sitting, having a cup of tea, talking, sharing, listening, playing.
That as adults we sometimes forget to do, to play, to create and to connect. We are here to inspire whānau to consider taking a chance on themselves, and taking that first step to walk in the door, go 'what the heck is this place' and feel the magic that evolves!
“Creativity is rongoā; it is indeed a medicine that brings together all people and needs to be nourished.”
– Anonymous
“The whare is the coolest of spaces, what I really love about it is the way you both talk about the whare as our space, encouraging me to make myself at home. There was never a feel of this is your space that I am coming into and using your stuff or wasting your resources. Also, both so sharing with your knowledge and experience.”
- Anon
“What has changed for me? Belief in self and a willingness to give things a go. Discovery or a reawakening of creativity.”
- Anon
“I’ve tried everything, had a tutu with just about everything and it’s been incredibly good fun, brought so much laughter and joy, great learning and awesome heart, wairua, tinana, hinengaro filling!
- Tuihana