Tuhaka Kapua

Te Ao Hou, 1972, Page 4

Tuhaka Kapua One of New Zealand's prominent Maori carvers, Mr Tuhaka Kapua, died in Rotorua, where he had spent his whole life as a carver, apart from three years with the Department of Maori Affairs. He learned the art from his father, the skilled and respected Tamatekapua Te Raihi, who had also been taught by his father. The family belonged to the Ngati Whakaue tribe. Perhaps the most notable of Mr Kapua's work adorns the famous Tamatekapua meeting house at Ohinemutu. Mr Kapua and his father worked on several of the panels when the building was enlarged. His work has been given to Royalty, exhibited at the New York World's Fair, the Golden Gate Exposition and the South African Exhibition. Mr Kapua taught carving at the Rotorua Boys' High School, to young and old in day and evening sessions. Two of his five sons are proficient carvers, and Tony will carry on his father's business in the workshop near the famed Ohinemutu. He is survived by his widow, five sons, three daughters and 19 grandchildren.