About: New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute

The New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute (NZMACI) is an indigenous traditional art school located in Rotorua New Zealand. It operates the national schools of 3 major Māori art forms. NZMACI opened in 1963 as a successor school to the previous national school for woodcarving (wānanga whakairo) in Rotorua, New Zealand. The original Institute had been established in 1926 by Sir Āpirana Ngata to combat the impending threat of the loss of traditional Māori arts. The new school continued the tradition in a location well-established for traditional Māori arts and crafts. The location of the schools at Whakarewarewa enabled access to the Rotorua tourist market, which has allowed the Institute to operate with financial independence for the majority of its history. The school is associated wi