Ko Te Awa Ko Au-Darling (Darz) 2022, framed photograph. Gift of Friends of Waikato Museum & Gallery, Collection of Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum & Gallery
Darling – Tēnei Au
Sara (Hera)Tautuku Orme
12 June – 3 August
Primary Bedroom Gallery, First floor.
A photographic exploration of whakapapa, whenua, and wairua, Darling – Tēnei Au follows the journey of Darling, a wāhine who embraces her mana motuhake through her connection to our awa, Tarawera—an awa that belongs to both Darling and me. The awa is her sanctuary, washing away her past and restoring her wairua. Through portraiture and kōrero, this work speaks to transformation, resilience, and healing—aligning with Matariki as a time of reflection and renewal. It is a tribute to those who have passed, those who remain, and the strength in reclaiming one’s own story.
Ngāti Awa, Te Arawa; Ngāti Whākaue, Ngāti Tarawhai, Ngāti Pikiao
Sara Tautuku Orme (Ngāti Awa, Te Arawa; Ngāti Whākaue, Ngāti Tarawhai, Ngāti Pikiao) is a Tāmaki Makaurau-based photographer and social documentarian with a background in sociology and kaupapa Māori storytelling. Her work explores whakapapa, Māori identity, mana motuhake, and the enduring impacts of colonisation, often through intimate portraiture and oral histories.
Ko Pūtauaki te maunga
Ko Rangitāiki te awa
Ko Mātaatua me Te Arawa ngā waka
Ko Ngāti Awa me Te Arawa ngā iwi
Ko Ngāi Tamaoki, Ngāti Tarāwhai, Ngāti Whākaue ngā hapū
Ko Ruaihona te marae
Ko Tautuku te whanau
Nō Te Teko, Rotorua me Ōtautahi ahau
Kei Tāmaki Makaurau tōku kāinga ināianei
Ko Arapeta (Albie) Orme tōku papa
Ko Sara (Hera)Tautuku Orme tōku ingoa
Darling – Tēnei Au is a photographic series exploring whakapapa, whenua, and wairua. Through intimate portraiture and kōrero, it follows Darling, a wāhine who embraces her mana motuhake through our awa, Tarawera—a sanctuary that carries both her past and mine, cleansing and restoring wairua. Her journey of resilience and transformation is woven into the whenua, just as my own connection to her and the awa shapes this work. Darling – Tēnei Au honours lived experience and intergenerational stories, inviting reflection on identity, whenua, and the healing power of wai.
Her work has been shown in Aotearoa and internationally, including at Te Papa, Caelum Gallery (New York), and Blindside (Melbourne), and is held in public collections such as Waikato Museum. In 2025, she contributed to He Waka Eke Noa at Tim Melville Gallery. She has twice been recognised by the Contemporary New Zealand Art Awards (2022, 2023), receiving a national award for her photographic work. Her forthcoming book, Kaumātua Aotearoa, will be published by Auckland University Press in 2026.
Looking ahead, Sara will continue walking alongside Māori communities—listening, documenting, and supporting the stories that are being carried forward for the generations to come.