Free-spirited tattoo artist Pip Hartley tells Justine Murray how her lifelong passion for the arts led to a career in traditional Māori tattooing.
Pip Hartley started her apprenticeship in taa moko back in 2002. Photo: RNZ/Justine Murray
As a child, Pip knew nothing of her Māori culture until she attended her grandmother's tangi at a marae.
That disconnection was a result of her father not having much to do with his own culture, she says.
"I wasn't really exposed to Te Ao Māori. Being 14, it's a big shift for a young wahine, but it kind of ignited a fire within me and a passion to learn more about my roots."
Pip Hartley is a free spirit who always had a passion for art.
After a year of study at Hungry Creek Art and Craft School outside of Puhoi, she headed to the South Island for a snowboarding stint in Queenstown.
After a snowboarding stint in Queenstown, Pip met the mentors that would be key to her career in the arts.
Photo: Supplied - Karanga Ink
At the time Pip was running stalls at festivals to make ends meet.
At a festival in Hokitika, she met her mentor Te Kura Te Wanikau Toroa and an Argentinian couple who shared her passion for tattooing.
Soon international travel was on the cards. Pip travelled to Borneo and attended indigenous tattoo conventions in Holland and Belgium.
After her tattoo apprenticeship, Pip spent some time in Sydney before moving back to NZ in 2005. During this time she worked as a taa moko artist alongside Inia Taylor.
Later, she took up the role of director at Te Karanga Charitable Trust, which runs music and arts programmes for at-risk youth.
Today she runs Karanga Ink – a tattoo studio in the heart of Auckland's Karangahape Road which doubles as an art gallery for established and emerging artists.
Any given day is busy for the small team that oversee the operations.
The day we visit, Owen and Sahara (who are two months into their three-month trip across New Zealand) have called in to get a tattoo.
Owen and Sahara from Hawaii visit Karanga Ink during their three month stay. Photo: RNZ/Justine Murray
In the afternoon, a group of American college students studying 'Native Decolonisation in the Pacific Rim' visit the studio to compare treaty partnerships in Washington State and Aotearoa.
Photo: Supplied - Karanga Ink
Pip and her team are more than willing to host the students and teachers.
Karanga Ink is committed to promoting cultural heritage and providing mentorship for the next generation of artists, as well as a platform of knowledge, skills and cultural understanding.
"After being to a few other commercial mainstream tattoo conventions you can really feel the difference… it's a lot more whanau-orientated. People are super chill. There's a lot less ego involved."
Pip's long-term plan is to open a facility with a focus on community development.
