The Molly Morpeth Canaday Award 2025 has once again shone a spotlight on the incredible talent within the contemporary art scene of Aotearoa. Held at Te Kōputu a te Whanga a Toi, this year’s award ceremony marked the 39th year of one of the country’s most prestigious visual arts prizes, with a prize pool exceeding $25,000.
Head Judge Sonya Korohina (Director, Tauranga Art Gallery) praised the remarkable calibre of the finalists, acknowledging the challenge faced by the judging panel in selecting this year’s winners.
Fifty exceptional pieces were shortlisted from 528 entries for the exhibition, and were showcased at the opening night and awards ceremony on Saturday, 1 February 2025.
Korohina described the winning piece, Fisher/Kai hī ika by Ngaroma Riley, as a striking and contemplative work that masterfully showcases both technical skill and cultural storytelling.
“From a distance, it appears to be sculpted from clay, with visible marks left by the maker’s hand. But as I get closer, I realise it is a single piece of tōtara, expertly shaped by the artist. Their confident use of the chisel, or perhaps an adze, has created a lifelike small figure.
“The features of the wooden figure are recognisably tangata whenua, and there is a gentleness in their posture. They hold a single line woven from muka, with a hei matau fishing the depths below. The figure perches on the edge of a cleverly splayed blue plinth, raising them up closer to the view of the onlooker.
“This is a quiet, contemplative work. In their statement, the artist celebrates a pre-colonial Māori life, reflecting on the right to consume food from te taiao/nature and questioning very real issues of food sovereignty.”
The final award of the event, the People’s Choice Award, will be decided by public vote throughout the exhibition’s duration and announced toward the end of the exhibition. This award, sponsored by The Whakatāne Society of Arts and Crafts and Anne Tolley, allows visitors to have their say in recognising artistic excellence.
The 2025 exhibition showcases a diverse and thought-provoking collection of works, reflecting the depth and breadth of artistic practice in Aotearoa today. The Arts Whakatāne project team expressed their excitement at the standard of submissions, noting the immense skill, creativity and cultural narratives woven into each piece.
For those eager to experience the finest in contemporary New Zealand art, the Molly Morpeth Canaday Award 2025 exhibition remains open to the public until 22 March 2025.