The work of Emily Karaka (Ngāpuhi, Waikato-Tainui, Ngāti Ruanui) is grounded in the cultural landscape of Aotearoa, traversing the political and the personal. Her work Pepeha, 2021 is a powerful representation of her connection to land and identity, utilising text as a direct means of communication. The work was inspired by the popular band Six60’s bilingual waiata Pepeha, the lyrics of which read Ko Mana tōku maunga / Ko Aroha te moana / Ko Whānau tōku waka/ Ko au e tū atu nei / Mana is my mountain / And Aroha is my sea / Whānau is my waka / And all of that is me. It was originally exhibited in Puhi Ariki, the opening exhibition of the Wairau Māori Art Gallery in Whangarei, 2022. Rahui at Taurarua: Kaitiaki at Mataharehare refers to the protest over the proposed Erebus memorial at the Parnell Rose Gardens, a culturally significant site with a sprawling, sacred pōhutukawa.