Joe Te Wharau is a designer, artist, explorer and technologist who blends traditional tribal art concepts with modern technology to create unique works to be treasured.
His work balances bespoke craftsmanship with complex technological understanding and precision engineering, and he is inspired by nature and his Ngāti Maru and Celtic tribal roots.
The brief
Promote Joe’s Matahiko Taonga V1.0 collection of pendants and Discovering 3D Printed Taonga talk, as part of Tauranga’s Art of Technology exhibition.
Our success
Last Word worked with Joe to understand his work, which included a range of 3D printed hei-iki and hei-toki pendants composed of precious metals as well as a 3D printed nylon hei-tiki featuring a microchip to record ancestral data. Once we understood what made Joe’s work unique, and the motivations behind it, we were able to translate this into an engaging, accurate and well-written media release for distribution to New Zealand media.
Last Word also proactively followed up with key journalists, resulting in significant media coverage by some of New Zealand’s most prominent news outlets, including the NZ Herald and Maori TV. This included a feature in a NZ Herald Lifestyle Magazine ‘What to wear’ feature for summer 2017/2018.
We also reached out to key New Zealand and international influencers and bloggers in the technology, art and design spheres, securing coverage for Joe and his Matahiko Taonga V1.0 works on prominent blogs and social media pages, some with close to 700,000 followers.
This coverage helped raise Joe’s profile as an artist, assisting him to secure future exhibition opportunities and generate new contacts with organisations who see the potential in his trailblazing work. Last Word has also continued to assist Joe by identifying additional funding and exhibition opportunities.
Client feedback
“Thanks guys! You did an amazing job to share my story and I highly recommend your services to anyone else looking to boost their message.”
Joe Te Wharau, Designer and Artist