Raranga Whakairo – Mick Pendergrast’s Landmark Māori Weaving Book | Kiwa Art
- Jun 28
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 2
Few books on Māori material culture have had the quiet, lasting influence of Raranga Whakairo: Māori Plaiting Patterns by Mick Pendergrast.
First published in 1984, Raranga Whakairo documented more than 200 traditional Māori plaiting patterns gathered from woven objects throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. For weavers, artists, museums, libraries, collectors and students of Māori fibre arts, it became one of the essential reference works on raranga, kete whakairo and traditional Māori weaving design.
After many years out of print, Kiwa Art is proud to have brought this important work back into production, ensuring it remains available to future generations.
What is Raranga Whakairo?
Raranga Whakairo can be translated as decorative or patterned plaiting. In the context of Māori weaving, it refers to the rich visual language of pattern found in kete, whāriki, tauira and other woven forms.
These patterns are more than decoration. They represent skill, memory, regional knowledge, inherited practice and design intelligence developed over generations. The forms can be beautifully geometric, yet they are also deeply human - produced through the movement of hands, fibre, concentration and knowledge passed from person to person.
Mick Pendergrast’s book records these patterns with clarity and care. Each design is illustrated so that readers can see the structure of the pattern, not only its surface appearance. Where known, the accompanying notes provide information on makers, iwi affiliations, materials, construction methods and regional variations. This makes Raranga Whakairo both a practical weaving reference and an important document of Māori material culture.
Why the book mattered in 1984
When Raranga Whakairo was first published in 1984, many traditional Māori weaving practices were being actively revived, taught, researched and revalued. Across Aotearoa, weavers, educators, museums and cultural practitioners were working to ensure that knowledge held in taonga, memory and practice was not lost. The book arrived at an important time.
Rather than treating woven objects simply as museum pieces, Raranga Whakairo looked closely at the intelligence within them. It recognised that the patterns themselves deserved careful study. The book helped make visible the complexity of Māori plaiting traditions and gave weavers, researchers and students a clear visual reference from which to learn.
For many readers, it opened a door. A kete was not only an object. It was a structure, a pattern, a record of technique, a connection to place and people, and a source of continuing inspiration.
Mick Pendergrast and the study of Māori fibre arts
Mick Pendergrast is widely respected for his contribution to the study and documentation of Māori weaving and fibre arts. His interest in plaiting began while teaching in communities on the East Coast of New Zealand. That early exposure developed into a lifelong engagement with weaving traditions, fieldwork and museum research. He later worked as a Volunteer Service Abroad teacher in the Solomon Islands and on the remote Polynesian island of Tikopia, experiences that deepened his understanding of Pacific fibre traditions and the relationship between making, culture and daily life.
Mick also held positions within several of New Zealand’s leading museums, where he continued to study Māori material culture and fibre arts. His wider publications include Te Mahi Kete: Māori Basketry for Beginners and Feathers and Fibre, the catalogue accompanying the first major exhibition of Māori flax crafts, which he curated. What distinguishes his work is its combination of careful observation, respect for makers, and practical usefulness. Raranga Whakairo was not written as a distant academic exercise. It was made to be used.
More than 200 Māori plaiting patterns
At the heart of Raranga Whakairo are the patterns themselves. The book documents more than 200 traditional Māori plaiting and weaving patterns, many recorded from original woven objects. These include patterns found on kete, floor mats, tauira and other forms of plait work.
For a weaver, the value of this is immediately obvious. A pattern can be studied, traced, compared and attempted. For an artist or designer, the book reveals the sophistication of Māori patternmaking and the creative possibilities of repetition, variation and structure. For a museum, library or collector, it provides a way of better understanding the woven taonga in their care.
The illustrations are one of the book’s great strengths. They reduce complex woven structures to clear visual information without stripping them of their beauty. This makes the book accessible to beginners while still being valuable to experienced practitioners.
Why Raranga Whakairo still matters today
More than forty years after its first publication, Raranga Whakairo remains relevant because the knowledge it records is not temporary.
Traditional Māori weaving continues to be practised, taught and developed. Contemporary weavers build on inherited knowledge while also responding to new materials, new contexts and new audiences. Artists and designers continue to find inspiration in the balance, rhythm and geometry of Māori plaiting patterns.
At the same time, access to reliable reference material remains essential. Many older books on Māori weaving are difficult to find, expensive second-hand, or held mainly in libraries. For students, community groups, artists, museums and independent learners, having a key work available again matters.
A book like Raranga Whakairo does not replace direct teaching, whakapapa, wānanga or lived practice. But it does support learning. It provides a visual record, a reference point and a bridge between generations of knowledge.
A resource for weavers, artists, museums and collectors
One reason Raranga Whakairo has remained so respected is that it serves many different readers.
For weavers, it is a practical reference to pattern and structure.
For students, it is an introduction to the depth and variety of Māori plaiting traditions.
For artists and designers, it is a source of visual inspiration.
For museums and collectors, it helps identify and understand woven works with greater care.
For libraries and educational institutions, it remains one of the essential books on Māori weaving and fibre arts.
Comments