The Raro Dog

10/06/2024

A few weeks ago I traveled to Hastings to photograph the work of Kalisolaite 'Uhila during his endurance performance for his exhibition, 'Kelekele Mo‘ui (Living Soil)'.

Prior to, the show, Kalisolaite and I, had a discussion about whether or not we should shoot video, stills or film etc. Kalisolaite and I have worked together for approximately a decade or so. For the last 10 years or so it's been considered standard, for us, to shoot video for the documentation and presentation of performance art.

It was Kalisolaite who decided that we should shoot 10 stills to capture the 'traces' of his endurance performance in Hastings. It seems crazy to try to capture a performance with only a handful of images. But it also felt like a watershed moment.

I will be doing an artist talk with my Kalisolaite 'Uhila at Hastings City Art Gallery Saturday 13 July. If you're in the area make sure you come down and have a kōrero!

Ngā mihi!

30/04/2024

We are already at the start of the Term 2. Where does the time go. All the parents will be glad that the school holidays are over! Some images from the school holidays. We welcome baby Nikora to the whānau!

14/04/2024

I regret the delay in sharing this, but I must express my gratitude to Raymond McKay from RUN. Ray generously took the time to have a meaningful conversation with me about my work. I truly appreciate his perspective in creating a podcast series that resonates with us as Māori artists - a valuable resource that I wish I had when I was a young artist seeking guidance. You can find the podcast linked in the bio. I recommend checking out his work in the creative communities.

09/04/2024

Excited to unveil some exclusive shots from our photoshoot with ThaMovement last year 📸✨ Supporting Tha Movement and his recent music video 'The Lecture', check it out now! Shout out to Samson Rambo for doing his thing!

27/10/2023

Come through and join the celebration with our Tuvaluan community this morning. This is the launch event for 'Pokisi, Te Fatu Manava' and will be at Te Manawa, West Auckland.

07/07/2023

‘Untitled’, 120mm LomoChrome Purple. Printed and framed by

Over the past couple of years I’ve been working on a photographic series based around aspects I’ve my whakapapa.

This is a new step for me as I’ve never been fully confident as a photographer, or rather I still myself as a photographer.

But following on from one of my video installations, “Horohoro”, I started experimenting with still photography. And the journey and process of film photography.

Thanks to for doing an amazing job.

I’m proud to exhibit the first in a series of new photographic work at Rotorua’s, The Arts Village group show, “Under the Stars”. A group show to celebrate Matariki.

If you’re in town this holidays head down to the gallery and visit the excellent show. And if you’re in town tomorrow morning head over to the opening and I’ll see you there. Show opens at 10.30am at

22/06/2023

Sharing the update that 'I Am the Moment' is now available via NZ Film on Demand. Thanks to the NZ Film Commission for this platform and the support. Awesome to give this film some more light and we thanks in advance to everyone who watches it. We hope you enjoy the film.

📣 New to the NZ Film On Demand platform this week: I Am The Moment (2020)

I Am The Moment directed by Robert George, premiered at the 2020 Whānau Mārama New Zealand International Film Festival in the first competitive Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts section of the programme.

The short documentary invites you to join Tongan performance artist Kalisolaite ‘Uhila in the lead up to a new performance work in Tokyo, Japan. I Am The Moment is a cinematic portrait, where Kalisolaite speaks philosophically about his process as a contemporary performance artist.

Director Robert George has short film Whakaako kia Whakaora / Educate to Liberate screening in the 2023 Whānau Mārama New Zealand International Film Festival - Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts programme. More information at the link here: https://www.nziff.co.nz/director/robert-george-kuki-airani-ngati-kea-ngati/

Watch the film here: https://ondemand.nzfilm.co.nz/film/i-am-the-moment/

13/06/2023

Whakaako Kia Whakaora / Educate to Liberate🎨✊

Our short documentary captured the development of a collaborative art work that honours the historical presence of the Polynesian Panther Party and their connection to the Black Panther Party.

🎬 Following a successful screening at the unique join us at launch here in Tāmaki Makaurau.

🖌️ This awe-inspiring mural is a joint effort by incredible artists Huriana Kopeke-Te Aho, Numa McKenzie, Toa Sieke Taihia, in collaboration with the legendary Emory Douglas, former Minister of Culture and revolutionary artist of the Black Panther Party. Tigilau Ness, former Minister of Culture of the Polynesian Panther Party, and the talented Chris McBride, activist artist/curator, have also played pivotal roles.

✨ This mural is a beacon of hope, inspiring future generations to fight for justice and create a better world for all.

🔗 Discover more about the project and explore the liberationlibrary.nz website, made possible by the support of Creative New Zealand.

🙏 This humble short documentary wouldn't have been possible without the generousity of our Boosted patrons. Thank you for believing in our vision and supporting this meaningful project.

Together, let's educate, liberate, and ignite change. 💫

17/03/2023

Kia Ora e te whānau. Today our short documentary, Whakaako kia Whakaora, was part of Whakapapa Shorts playing at Maoriland!

Here are the list of Featured Films in Whakapapa Shorts:
- Savage / Future (Seneca Nation of Indians) - Terry Jones
- Whakaako kia Whakaora / Educate to Liberate (Māori) - Robert George
- Mau Taiaha (Aotearoa) - Reuben Nicklin
- El cóndor y el picaflor (Aymara) - Waldo Iván Castro
- Tibi (Îethka (Stoney Nakoda)) - Twoyoungmen Jarret
- Language Keepers (Ojibwe) - Ajuawak Kapashesit
- Heart Like a Pow Wow (Chippewa, Potawatomi, Cree and Wampanoag) - Chief Lady Bird
- Seed Mother: Coming Home (Mohawk) - Mateo Hinojosa, Rowen White
- Testimony (Tonga) - Alice Lolohea
- Tsontiajakatl - El Último Viento (Nahua-Aztec) - Darío Duarte, David
Marcelino Cayetan

Congrats to films screening at the 2023 Maoriland Festival. Gutted that we couldn’t be there. Much respect to all the filmmakers. Thanks to Chris McBride will be there repping us all.


www.therarodog.co.nz

20/05/2022

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04/04/2022

Te Kaneati is a recent project we worked on and we had the honour of working with the local Banaban community. Te Kaneati is a presentation of Banaban arts, community and culture, which is currently being presented alongside the exhibition Project Banaba by artist Katerina Teaiwa, at Te Uru gallery. We documented workshops and prepared content for the exhibition, working with the Banaban Christian Fellowship Hub and the amazing Yuki Kihara, who curated the exhibitions.

Project Banaba and Te Kaneati both highlight history from our Pacific region that is relatively unknown and raises awareness of Banaba and its people. This is definitely a must see and the exhibitions are at Te Uru until 29 May.

Te Kaneati is a presentation of Banaban arts, culture and heritage by Tāmaki Makaurau’s Banaban community, presented alongside the exhibition Project Banaba by artist Katerina Teaiwa (Tabiang and Tabwewa) highlighting the resilience of the diaspora.

31/03/2022

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22/03/2022

The Raro Dog team have had the pleasure of working with Doris De Pont and the New Zealand Fashion Museum, for the ‘to fashion’ project. We filmed 12 wonderful individuals, the portrait curators, to capture their process and stories. The project is part of the Auckland Arts Festival and each of the videos are available here – along with their photographic portraits:
https://nzfashionmuseum.org.nz/to-fashion/

We look forward to sharing the videos and hope you enjoy.

to fashion shifts the framing of the fashion word from a noun to a verb, fashion as action. For this project the museum steps back and instead asks twelve diverse individuals to fashion their own personal appearance in a way that expresses their identity, their culture, and their truth. Championing....

17/03/2022

Live Live Cinema: The Little Shop of Horrors opened tonight, as part of the Auckland Arts Festival. This was the first time watching the whole movie put together and what an awesome effort. It completely works as a movie and we were cracking up the whole way through. Definitely an experience to be believed.

And for the eagle eyed viewer you can see a young Jack Nicholson in a classic Roger Corman movie.

Make sure you stream it while you can!

Get set for the audacious, unpredictable and side-splitting classic by Roger Corman, The Little Shop of Horrors (1960), brought to you in a whole new frame.

18/09/2021

To celebrate the end of Te Wiki o Te reo Māori I thought that I’d post a couple or still frames from Ngā Ao e Rua, the latest single from and our latest video. If you haven’t seen the music video in full yet, check out the link in the bio.

13/09/2021

*Post edited. I have taken down the previous IGTV post of this video because Instagram wasn’t post the video in the proper aspect ratio. So I am now posting as a 60sec. Will link full video in bio.

NGĀ AO E RUA

I am proud to have been involved with this project. It’s been a long time coming and I am stoked to finally be able to share this video.

A massive shout out to the Shepherds Reign boys and Swizl Jager! Thanks for trusting in the process!

Shout outs to The Raro Dog team, Petrina Togi-Sa’ena, Gareth van Niekerk, Leroy Brown and Lisa Cooper.

And much love to Te Mangai Paho

Kia kaha te reo Māori!

11/07/2021

18/06/2021

This is an appreciation post. It’s been an honour to be able to support the in their amazing work. Much love and respect to all the OG Panthers, all the supporters, family members, friends and whānau. All of you are an inspiration to us all.

“All power to all people”

This is a 60sec promo that was done for Chris McBride for his presentation today at the celebrations. Much love and respect to Chris.

Earlier this year we filmed The Whakaako Kia Whakaora / Educate to Liberate mural project. Which honours the historical presence of the Polynesian Panthers in Tāmaki Makaurau, the connection to the Black Panther Party and a visual representation of some of the social justice issues both organisations fought for at that time, and still fight for today.
The Panther Mural Project includes artists Huriana Kopeke-Te Aho, Numa McKenzie, Toa Sieke Taihia in collaboration with Emory Douglas, Tigilau Ness and Chris McBride.

The Mural Project was inspired by Ness and McBride’s travel to the Black Panther Party 50th Anniversary celebrations in Oakland Ca. in 2016. The politically charged cultural and artistic landscape across Oakland and San Francisco created the seed to bring our stories alive with inspirational messaging, recognising past and future hopes and well-being in Auckland. The Mural will generate positive inspiration and hope for future generations to realise better outcomes for all.

The production of the mural design and the liberationlibrary.nz website has been supported by an arts grant from Creative New Zealand.

Fakaalofa lahi atu to Extended Whānau, Tyrone Ohia and Dexter Edwards

09/07/2020

The Raro Dog's cover photo

09/07/2020

The Raro Dog