Cassandra Barnett

Cassandra Barnett is writer and artist of Raukawa, Ngati Huri and Pakeha descent. She writes poetry, essays and short fiction about cultural and ecological futures. She worked as an art theorist and lecturer (fine arts/critical and contextual studies) for 15 years at institutions including Wintec (Hamilton), Unitec (including the short-lived Awatoru programme, Auckland), and Massey University (Wellington). She is currently Pouako/Educator at Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Waikato Museum. She was a founding member of the publishing collective Taraheke, and believes deeply in the power of art and word to bring transformation. Kura Te Waru-Rewiri (Ngapuhi, Ngati Kahu, Ngati Rangi, Ngati Kauwhata) studied at the Ilam School of Fine Arts and at teachers' training college, and then taught art in schools, tertiary institutions, universities and whare wananga, and was one of the first Maori appointments to Elam School of Fine Arts in 1993. Her work is held in collections in both Aotearoa New Zealand and overseas and she has been a key contributor to contemporary Maori exhibitions both in New Zealand and abroad. She is the chair of the Mangaiti Marae Trust, a board member of Te Runanga o Whaingaroa and an arts director on the Toi Ngapuhi Board.