Born in 1978, raised in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, Amanda has been weaving for 40+ years. She learned Ngā mahi ō te wharepora from her mother, Meretauhinga. Amanda recognised at just eight years old the declining interest in weaving around her. From that moment, she committed herself to becoming a vessel for preserving ancestral weaving knowledge and customary practice, ensuring survival for future generations.

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Since moving to Rotorua in 2002, Amanda has been mentored by esteemed Te Arawa and Mataatua master weavers.

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Amanda holds multiple bachelor’s degrees and postgraduate qualifications, and is a master's student working towards her PhD. Amanda has been a Māori university Kaiako for many years and has delivered Māori weaving programmes at The New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, Te Rito ō Rotowhio, Te Puia, and for Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

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Amanda’s practice spans traditional kākahu and ritual- takapou whāriki through to contemporary fashion and experimental forms. Her works are held in private and public collections around the world and have appeared in galleries, at marae, on fashion runways, and on Te Matatini stage.

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‘My survival skills have taught me to thrive in pōraruraru (chaos). In a chaotic/high-stress environment, I experience a sense of calm and clarity; I feel guided; I make deliberate, precise decisions; and my weaving practice emerges and is shaped by ancestral guidance, emotional transformation.’

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