Maisey Rika headlines an eclectic bunch of people named The Arts Foundation Te Tumi Toi Laureate Award recipients for 2021. Eight artists have been identified as Aotearoa New Zealand’s most outstanding artists for 2021 – artists whose practise also has an impact in New Zealand.
Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Lead, Jo Blair says, “We couldn’t think of eight artists more suited to representing the great mana of our Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate Awards programme – particularly significant as we celebrate our 21st year of the Awards. We are incredibly proud of our legacy of backing the arts, and our Laureate programme truly embodies this.”
2021 marks the 21st year of the Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate Awards, established to celebrate and empower New Zealand’s most outstanding practising artists across a diverse range of disciplines. Every year the Arts Foundation recognises exceptional artists with a $25,000 untagged award.
Rika says for her it's not just about singing and expressing herself creatively. "There is a bit of responsibility to sing in Te Reo Māori, to talk about certain issues. I was lucky enough to be of the generation that came through the Kohanga Reo movement. This is my giving back to the kaupapa.
Widely regarded as a national treasure, Rika has toured extensively internationally and shared stages with Grammy Award winners such as India Arie, John Legend, Blind Boys of Alabama, and George Kahumoku Jr. Closer to home, she has played with a whose-who of contemporary musicians, and has inspired many local artists such as Stan Walker, Teeks and Rob Ruha.
Maisey says that she was quite surprised to be named as a 2021 Laureate. "For other people to see you doing this mahi and think it's a good thing, you know it's very humbling"
Rika was born and raised in the Bay of Plenty Te Moana-ā-Toi, where she currently lives with her whānau and was schooled at the famous St Joseph's Māori Girls' College in Napier.
According to Kahurangi Hinewehi Mohi, herself an old girl of St Jo's, Maisey is an intergenerational talent. “She’s a very selfless person. She’s incredibly generous with her time, with her talent, and with her aroha for people. It’s important to have people like Maisey supporting young artists coming through. She is most certainly an inspiration for Rangatahi.”