Te rua o Mataora by Quinton Bidois

“Ko au ko te moana ko te moana ko au.” This saying defines who I am and where I come from and was born and raised. “He kore au e ngaro. He kakano ahau i ruia mai i ngā taitimu tai pari o Tauranga moana.” I will never be lost for I am a seed sown in the incoming and outgoing tides of Tauranga Moana. I am a descendant of the two iwi of Tauranga Moana, Ngai-Te Rangi and Ngati- Ranginui, who was born and raised amongst the moving tides of this wonderful whenua. 

I am a practitioner of 20 years of tā moko and have a Master of Professional Creative Practice. I am currently a tutor on the Bachelor of Creative Industries. I have travelled extensively around the world sharing my practice of moko to the world. It is at home that I feel I need to share this mātauranga that I have attained and share it with the generations thirsting to fill their own vessels. I feel it is imperative that we must hold on to our mana in the realm of Toi Māori. 

For far too long have our people moved away from their turangawaewae to grasp and delve into knowledge of the art forms handed down by their ancestors. For the indigenous people of Tauranga it has been a struggle to hold steadfast to the true essence of what a Tauranga Moana Māori art / art style looks, hears and sounds like? Toi Māori has been around for hundreds of years, yet there is still a lack of understanding and education about the art forms in Tauranga Moana.  

As a consequence of the colonisation of Tauranga and the subsequent removal of many Māori from their traditional social make-ups and norms, Māori culture and identity has become muddied in the Pākehā dominated world. For Tauranga to uphold its own mana in the realm of Toi Maori, we know we must create avenues, where whanau, hapū and iwi work collectively in providing and supporting our leaders of tomorrow.  

“He toi whakairo he toi tangata”   

“Artistic knowledge feeds the creativeness of the soul” 

View Quinton's work on Instagram. 

Selected Publications 

Bidois, Q.  (2019). Perspective on enquiry-based learning from an indigenous point of view. Presented at Seminar on Vocational Teaching Reform and Practice in China and New Zealand, Qingdao, China. Qingdao Technical College,  

Bidois, Q. (2019). Matariki ki Mauao. Presented at Tuia, tuituia a Matariki: Binding the threads of Matariki,, Tauranga, New Zealand.  

Bidois, Q. (2019). He rau aroha. [Tā moko]. Que atk moko studio: Tauranga.  

Bidois, Q. (2019). Waiata mai. [Tā moko]. Que atk moko studio: Tauranga.  

Bidois, Q.  (2019). Herewini. [Tā moko]. Que atk moko studio: Tauranga.  

Bidois, Q.  (2019). Tu tonu arataki. [Tā moko]. Que atk moko studio: Tauranga.  

Bidois, Q. (2018). Written in the stars. Our Place Magazine. 7 (June, 18). p20.  

Bidois, Q. (2018). Nga rau o Apanui. [Tā Moko]. Papamoa, New Zealand: Que atk moko studio.  

Bidois, Q. (2018). Te taura herenga, AROHA. [Tā Moko]. Mt Maunganui, New Zealand: ASB Convention Centre.  

Bidois, Q. (2018). Mataora. [Tā Moko]. Papamoa, New Zealand: Que atk moko studio.  

Bidois, Q. (2018). Nga wahi e rua Taranaki Tauranga. [Tā moko]. Tauranga, New Zealand: Que atk moko studio.  

Bidois, Q. (2018). He tohu mamae. [Tā moko]. Tauranga, New Zealand: Que atk moko studio.  

Bidois, Q. (2018). Mokopuna. [Tā moko]. Tauranga, New Zealand: Que atk moko studio.  

Bidois, Q. (2018). Te awa awhiowhio 'taniwha e'. [Tā Moko]. Papamoa, New Zealand: Que atk moko studio.  

Bidois, Q. (2018). Whakaue whakapapa. [Tā Moko]. Papamoa, New Zealand: Que atk moko studio.  

Bidois, Q. (2018). Taku teina. [Tā Moko]. Papamoa, New Zealand: Que atk moko studio.  

Bidois, Q. (2018). He Ringa Raupa. [Tā Moko]. Papamoa, New Zealand: Que atk moko studio.  

Bidois, Q. (2017). Te Oro o Te Rango, Te Rua O Ruaumoko. (Te Hono ki Toi (Poutiriao)/Master of Professional Creative Practice thesis). Eastern Institute of Technology. Tairawhiti, New Zealand.  

Bidois, Q. (2017). "Taku Turangawaewae". Presented at Tauranga Arts Festival, The Strand, Tauranga, New Zealand.  

Bidois, Q. (2017). Tin-o-cocoa, Tin-o-cocoa, Tin-o-cocoa, Waitangi – The Subversion of the Everyday. [Group Exhibition.]. Tauranga, New Zealand: Creative Bay of Plenty - Te Moana a Toi.  

Bidois, Q. (2017). Whakapapa o te whanau Kiingi. [Tā Moko]. Papamoa, New Zealand: Que atk moko Studio.  

Bidois, Q. (2017). Ko au ko te moana. [[Tā Moko].]. Papamoa, Aotearoa: Que atk moko studio.  

Bidois, Q. (2017). Ngā tipua e rua. [[Tā Moko].]. Papamoa, Aotearoa: Que atk moko studio.  

Bidois, Q. (2017). Poipoia aku tamariki. [[Tā Moko].]. Papamoa, Aotearoa: Que atk moko studio.  

Bidois, Q. (2017). Takahi te whenua. [[Tā Moko].]. Sydney, Australia: Paramatta tattoo studio.