Dr Johnson Witehira

Artist, researcher, and co-founder of Apōpō and Indigenous Design & Innovation Aotearoa (IDIA).

Dr Johnson Witehira developed his passion for Māori art and design completing a Masters in Graphic Design (2007) and a Doctorate in Māori visual arts (2013). He spends most of my time thinking about how Māori did things in the past, and how we might apply our mātauranga (knowledge) to contemporary problems.

His kaupapa (mission) as both an artist and designer is to bring Māori visual culture back into the lives of all Māori, through careful consideration of how indigenous culture, design and technology intersect.

He is the co-founder of Āpōpō and Indigenous Design & Innovation Aotearoa (IDIA). IDIA is about designing futures through an indigenous lens. As the work quickly grew at IDIA they soon realized they needed more Māori designers, and so created Āpōpō, Wellington’s first and only Indigenous Creativetech hub, which works to support and work with other Māori working in the design and technology industries.