MATCHITT, Paratene, 1933-
Te Wepu Assemblage (Maori)
Square, triangular and rectangular units in
sections of wood and chipboard are nailed and
butted together in this relief sculpture, forming
an integrated collection of diverse components.
The artist Paratene Te Moko Puorongo
Matchitt was raised in Tokomaru Bay and is of
Whanau-a-Apanui, Ngati Porou and
Whakatohea descent. At Edgecumbe, near
Whakatane, he was taught to carve by his father
and grandfather. After leaving the east coast, he
attended Auckland Teachers’ College in the
years 1955 and 1956 and then spent a year at
the Training College in Dunedin where he
became one of Gordon Tovey’s art advisors.