For Kyani Vira Utia, who hails from Manahiki, Rakahanga, and Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, the art of tivaevae has brought her closer to her family, community, and cultural roots.

Tivaevae are beautiful quilts handmade by the women of the Cook Islands, filled with vibrant colours and patterns.

Vira Utia is a graduate of the Master of Design programme at Auckland University of Technology (AUT).

She shares her joy and challenges in learning to make tivaevae, highlighting the wonderful experience of discovering the craft together with her family.

She is currently attending weekly classes to learn te reo Māori Kūki ‘Airani and is preparing for her first performance at the Te Maeva Nui festival in Auckland in October.

The experience allows her to deepen her connection to her language and cultural heritage of matakeinanga.

Vira Utia says she and her mother are continuing work on the tivaevae pieces that her grandmother started.

“We get to be on the journey together. While it’s really fun, it’s also frustrating at the same time because we both don’t know what we’re doing, but it’s such a privilege that we get to work it out as we go, which I think speaks to my cultural journey.”

She says the weeklong event is a vibrant celebration of culture and language, showcasing the talents of Pacific students, staff, and alumni.

This image of a tivaevae was photographed by Mere Tapaeru Tereora in 1980 in the Cook Islands. The piece was purchased by Te Papa in 2002.

Fantasy opens the heart to reading

In another exciting initiative, the Pacific Kids Learning programme is encouraging children to explore magical stories and ignite their imagination, with the launch of “Mērio ‘ē te Au Poe ‘ō te Pakari - Merio and the Pearls of Wisdom”, a beautiful digital story created by Cook Islander Joyana Finch.

Finch is not only a mother and author, but also a digital artist, engineer, and former Miss Pacific Islands.

The story was launched on Friday and aims to inspire a lifelong love of reading, especially in Pacific languages.

Photo/Pacific Kids Learning

"We’re proud to introduce this story on the Pacific Digital Library www.pacificdigitallibrary.com.

"This story is a gift of language, culture, and creativity! PKL is honoured to have digitised Joyana Finch's story, and you can find more of her incredible storytelling work at mrsjfinch.com."

For those looking for additional resources related to Cook Islands Language Week resources, including greetings for Epetoma o te reo Māori Kūki 'Airani, you can visit the Ministry for Pacific Peoples' website.

Cook Islands Language Week ends on Saturday. Following this, New Zealand will celebrate Uike Kātoanga’i ‘o e lea faka-Tonga - Tonga Language Week, from 17 to 23 August.