Please join us for the opening of this beautiful exhibition exploring the life, beauty and fragility of the Mataura River.

He Wai Apakura – Te Ara Pounamu | The River’s Lament – A Pathway of Treasures by Jo Ogier.

Opening Night: Thursday 26 November, 6.30pm, at Te Atamira. All welcome, free to attend.

We’re thrilled to feature this collection in our gallery from 27 November to 25 January 2027.

Through exquisitely detailed botanical and wildlife illustrations, artist Jo Ogier reveals the interconnected stories of the Mataura river’s flora and fauna, as she follows its path from the headwaters to lower reaches.  
 
Developed through a long-term research partnership between Hokonui Rūnaka and Eastern Southland Gallery, the exhibition brings together detailed depictions of indigenous plants, birds, insects and freshwater species with oral histories, archival research and mātauraka shared by kaumātua and other experts of this Southland region. 
 
He Wai Apakura – Te Ara Pounamu is a sensitive reflection of the relationship between the precious life in our rivers and above the water line, honouring Aotearoa’s natural beauty. It’s a story of change – our history, the present day and the future. It inspires the viewer to value and protect the treasured taonga we have, but also lament what we have lost as a lesson for our future. 
 
This is art from beyond an artist’s studio. Before brush touched paper, Jo Ogier studied the river from a bird’s eye view via Tiger Moth, flying the length of the river to observe the changing landscape. Working alongside ecologists and Hokonui Rūnaka to identify specific species of flora and fauna and understand the natural history of the environment, she translated those observations into intricate drawings that weave together science, history and visual storytelling.   
 
Each illustration becomes a portrait of a living taonga within the river - from elegant Kōtuku white heron and ancient Kanakana, to the Kererū watching over the forest canopy.