Eager weaver shows handiwork | Rotorua News | Local News in Rotorua

Ana Hayes' aspiration is to be a weaver.

Last week Miss Hayes and art students from Te Wananga o Aotearoa held an exhibition titled Nga Moemoea (The Aspirations) at the Dinsdale Campus in Rotorua.

Miss Hayes said she hesitated to call herself a weaver because she was only in her second year of a diploma course.

The Rotorua woman said her main focus was raranga (weaving) and she enjoyed learning the traditional art form.

She had five pieces in the exhibition including a very popular woven version of a man-bag.

"I designed a man-bag for my tane and I could have sold it four or five times. People were really interested in it."

Her other pieces were a backpack and two muka kete. Some of the students had their artwork for sale and Miss Hayes said these were snapped up.

The exhibition is a requirement of the course and this was the second time she had exhibited. Next year will be the final year for the budding weaver. Miss Hayes is originally Ngati Kahungunu from Wairoa but has lived in Rotorua for 15 years.