10/03/2026
KARU O TE WHENUA
Fine Kete Whakairo by Sonia Snowden - Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whātua, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Kuta.
Pattern design is one of Sonia’s super powers, weaving with 1-2mm wide whenu (Harakeke blades). Her technical expertise weaving Kete Whakairo has grown from strength to strength over the decades where she continues to innovate reversing repetitive patterns creating new abstract patterns that are not only striking but very bold.
As a long serving Raranga Tutor on many marae, Te Rourou Trust and Te Wānanga o Raukawa in Ōtaki, Sonia Snowden has shared her knowledge of Te Whare Pora across generations of weavers. She is recognised and treasured as a master weaver, a symbol of Raranga Whatu excellence and grace.
Sonia has woven some of the finest high-quality tukutuku, whāriki and Fine Kete Whakairo. A significant body of tukutuku being the restoration of Rangiātea Church in Ōtaki. Much of Sonia’s Raranga is in private and public collections such as Te Papa, Te Manawa, other museums and iwi archives in Aotearoa.
In 2003 Sonia became a Toi Iho lifetime artist and is a member of Te Kāhui Whiritoi, a class of master Māori weavers.
In 2019 she was acknowledged as a recipient of the Ngā Tohu a Tā Kingi Ihaka Award by Creative New Zealand for her services and dedication to her arts practice.
Toi Matarau is honoured to have hosted Sonia alongside Pip Devonshire as the first recipients of Ngā Aho Whenua Weavers Residency in 2021. The residency program is an 18 month long initiative designed by Kaitiaki Toi and Curator Maakarita Paku, to support weavers full-time, to create new work, engage with other weavers and the community.
Fondly referred to as Aunty Son to many, Toi Matarau and the whānau at Māoriland are proud to celebrate her as our living treasure, kaumātua and Poutokomanawa alongside Darcy Nicholas. Their support, love and dedication is appreciated and sustains us.
