Hawke's Bay Jeweller David (Ngāi Tai ki Tamaki) has been setting gems and crafting jewellery since the 1970s. He sat down to chat with Harriet one morning at The Poi Room, sharing insights into his heritage, inspiration, and years of experience manipulating metal, gems, stone, glass, and found objects into beautiful wearable art pieces. Here's what we learned.
Tā Moko Sterling Silver Ring
WHAT DO YOU MAKE and HOW DID YOU LEARN YOUR CRAFT?
I started my career in the jewellery industry in 1977, and was first trained and employed as a diamond setter at Gary Mahon Antiques on Remuera Road. That gave me the skills and ability to apply myself for intense periods of mahi.
I did contract gem setting for a number of years, and that work really set me up with the skills to allow me to be more creative and diverse in my own practice.
David's Awhi Awhi Diamond ring
We eventually moved to the Bay of Islands to be closer to nature and had our children there. I really need a connection to nature to stimulate my work habits. I’ve always had that closeness with nature, finding things while fossicking on beaches. I have some real treasures that I’ll never part with.
WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION AS AN ARTIST?
Living in Kerikeri and having the creative urge and a set of skills applicable to stone carving, I worked for Paul Mason, a preeminent designer who taught me how to accomplish a minimalist aesthetic of bringing out the beauty in materials and not overworking them.
Then I threw all that away to a greater degree when I started Māori carving, incorporating Māori design more fully into my Navigator series. It began as a story of self-discovery and whakapapa discovery. My great-great-grandfather was a tā moko (traditional tattooist) back in the 1800s and early 1900s, and also a carver. Some of my whānau and I have pieces he carved back in the day. So he has been a big inspiration for me.
I did a Kerikeri Applied Arts (AUT) paper in cast glass. I enjoy incorporating natural and found materials, stone, timber and glass in my work, but now I have come full circle back to working predominantly with metals, because I love what you can do with them. It’s about creating things that people treasure and that become a memento for them in their lives. That is my biggest desire: to have things that spark joy or memories for people and connect people in that way. It’s all about connections really.
Harriet
Your tā moko ring provides lots of connections for our customers. Such as gifts for partners who have just connected with their whakapapa, another who was graduating as a Māori doctor and someone who lived in NZ and met a Māori partner and was moving to Italy. Travellers who want to treasure their time here. It becomes part of the memory you make here or the journey you’ve built.
David
That makes me so happy to hear, because that design comes specifically from a tokotoko (walking stick) I inherited from my grandfather, which was carved by his grandfather. So to me, that image particularly has a resonance and mana to it. To hear people connect to it is lovely, and I appreciate that from The Poi Room.
My Great Great Grandfather was Anaru Makiwhara, (Andrew Maxwell).
He is referred to (and pictured) in a number of Ta Moko publications and was also petitioning the Crown after the land wars (1871) to seek justice for his people and the Waikato Tainui whanui. Those documents are tragic and inspiring to read.
I try to keep his name and memory alive as he has been a major inspiration for me (and others) in progressing the kaupapa of our Iwi particularly.
Outside of jewellery and my art practice, I have been involved in tourism since I came back to Hawke's Bay, and I always advise people to connect with the local iwi if they want to find out more about the heritage of the area. The sharing of info back and forth is very important.
Patangata, December 2025
WHAT DOES A NORMAL DAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
On a typical day, I’m out in the garden first thing, and I go and pick some fresh produce. We have a plague of bronze beetle eating our fruit tree leaves due to a lack of moisture, the ground is very dry in Hawke’s Bay. I love the garden, the 'paddock to plate' theory is such a healthy way to live. Then I’m in my workshop - playing really, I don’t feel like it's work, it’s my happy place.
In the evening is when I go back to the garden to water.
David's current workspace at Patangata.
WHAT IS YOUR STUDIO/CREATIVE SPACE LIKE?
I now have a bigger workshop than what I had previously. It’s not the ultimate, I’m looking at building a bigger one and getting back into bigger projects, sculptural pieces like carved stone and cast glass. The workshop is in the design process now. I’ve been collecting materials, pieces of stone that have been swapped with other artists etc. I have a workshop full of materials, but there is quite a lot to set up with cutting stone, for instance.
WHAT'S YOUR COFFEE ORDER and WHAT SNACKS KEEP YOU GOING?
I love a long black. I start the morning with a plunger and it lasts me a few cups which fuels my day. I also have lots of fresh water. I’m not big on snacks but I love my veggies from the garden. We have a reasonably good orchard and I do make a good crumble. Crumbles are so good at any time of the day! Lovely oaty coconutty goodness with tamarillo, apple, feijoa.
Left: David's stone cutting setup. Right: Rings fresh off the bench.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT WORKING & LIVING IN AOTEAROA (NEW ZEALAND)?
The people and the environment. Living in central Hawke’s Bay the beaches are magnificent with big long expanses of sand. We can drive for half an hour to get to the beach and there’s only one or two cars on the way, then nobody on the beach when we get there. My wife and I take the dog and walk long stretches of coastline. But I love the rivers up in the mountains too. Crystal clear water and big trout. I love stalking trout with fly rod in hand. But it’s more about observation, I love watching nature in action. I slow myself right down and take the time to appreciate things rather than walk past. People will ask me ‘how did you see that?’ when we’re out walking. I always notice something a little bit different and want to work out what that is. I’m just observant of those gifts that nature gives us.
Left: David with his grandsons last summer. Right: A recent trout fishing trip.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR LASTING IMPRESSION OR LEGACY TO BE AS AN ARTIST?
My mum passed away a year ago. She was an artist, a painter, and it meant a lot going through her studio looking at all the treasures she left behind. My extended family came together and described different pieces, reminiscing on how she would show them, teach them, set them up with things to do as babies and children. Art was always part of our life.
I’d love for some of the pieces I’ve made over the years to become intergenerational and maybe be passed on and appreciated. That would be lovely.
Harriet
Jewellery lasts and it's so nice when special pieces are passed through generations.
David
Yes! I was working with a jeweller in Remuera Gary Marlow (??) back in the day and he had beautiful Victorian jewellery collections, often well worn rings, pendants or brooches with hand-cut gems needing to be re-set and you’d have to take the piece apart, tidy it up and put it back together so it could be there for another few generations before needing attention again. That was very exciting. One piece in particular was a gecko formed in a serpentine shape and all the way down the back were these beautiful cut emeralds in graduated colours. Taking that apart, soldering new parts and reassembling it was absolutely nerve wracking but also the most satisfying thing to complete. Having that kind of challenging work was very formative for me, a great test of technical skills.
WHAT DREW YOU TO WORKING WITH THE POI ROOM?
I’m inspired by looking at the work here, the range of artists you represent and the staff are fantastic. I really appreciate that.
Harriet
We genuinely love all of the artists and the work here. We often get sidetracked chatting about art with people and they’re in here for ages.
David
It’s all about knowing your artists and articulating and communicating to people what they are buying into, and The Poi Room does it brilliantly. I appreciate it. I would always suggest to people when I worked in tourism to come to The Poi Room, it's the go-to, you’ll always find what you want.
It has been fascinating hearing your stories David! Thank you so much for sharing them.
