Māia Royal (Ngaati Korokii Kahukura, Ngāti Whānaunga) is a multi-media artist based in Tāmaki Makaurau and recent graduate of Auckland University of Technology.

Mātauranga Māori is the birthplace of Maia Royal’s work, and is the grounding force of her practice. Royal’s work manages to capture the intrinsic connection we hold with Papatūānuku (mother nature).

Throughout her process of harvesting and working with found natural materials she practices Tikanga. This approach enables the artist to access the knowledge of her tūpuna (ancestry) on a deeper level.

Māia was given the AD25 Toi Māia Award for her cultural contribution to mātauranga Māori and indigenous knowledge.