Michelle explores her connection with the Murihiku landscape—bringing the rugged, visceral nature of the southern coastlines into the gallery and reminding us we are all made from the same elemental matter.
Wind-ravaged, powerful, and all-consuming, Te Waewae Bay stretches 27 kilometers along the south-west coast of Te Waipounamu. Here, time-worn igneous granite orbs—hinewaiapu—whisper stories of those who came before as they grind against one another, driven shoreward by Antarctic tides. Michelle carefully selects hinewaiapu from Rarakau Blue Cliffs Beach on the western edge of Te Waewae Bay. These stones—shaped by tide, wind, and memory—are further transformed by Michelle to create artworks reminiscent of anchors.
Alongside these hinewaiapu Michelle presents a series of acrylic and mixed media paintings. These paintings draw inspiration from the remote, untamed coastlines of Te Waewae Bay and nearby coastal places, including the Awarua Wetlands near Motupōhue Bluff and Waipapa Point at the southermost tip of mainland New Zealand.
Artist Biography
Ko Piripiri te Maunga
Ko Waitohi te Awa
Ko Te Atiawa te tau ihu o te waka a Maui i te Iwi
Ko Tokomaru te Waka
Ko Puketapu te Hapu
Ko Arapaoa te moutere tapu
Ko John Livingston Watson Tahuaroa taku Papa
Ko Michelle Dawson toku ingoa
No reira, Tena koutou, Tena koutou
Tena tatou katoa
Michelle Tahuaroa Dawson is an Invercargill-based artist who creates acrylic mixed media paintings that explore the deep connection between people and land. Her practice is further shaped by an ongoing engagement with coastal environments, where she sources stones that are transformed into considered, resolved artworks.
Michelle received her Diploma later in life from The Learning Connexion. She has received several awards including the Big A from Arts Access Aotearoa for her work with C.S. Art—an art studio for people with disabilities and neurodivergence that she co-founded in 2004. She is currently focusing on a new series of work encompassing grief and loss after the sudden death of her beloved son in January 2026.
Image: Michelle Tahuaroa Dawson, Approaching Te Wai Pounamu, 2025.
