A artist is making Christmas ornaments to honour his late uncle, raising funds for the hospice who he says respected his uncle, their whānau and cultural protocols.
Spencer Bellas lost his uncle Tehoemanuka Richard Pihama through cancer in July 2017.
"My uncle was diagnosed with terminal cancer at the end of 2016, he went in to hospice care early 2017. He was a close uncle to me, typical Māori whānau, Christmas together, kai together, he was really close to us."
He says there was no better place than Manurewa's Totara Hospice when it comes to accommodating Māori families and protocols during such a difficult time.
"There was 30 of us that were there, often singing, having kai together. They put us in a big room, they provided us with mattresses all over the floor so we turned it in to a marae."
So it's no surprise that Mr Bellas wanted to give back to the cause. He worked alongside Farmers to create a Māori Christmas ornament in a bid to raise funds for the hospice.
"I wanted a piece that would depict that some of our family members go away, you know it's very common to go abroad and all of that but at the same time we still move together and are still connected as whānau."
Bellas has been doing Māori visual arts for a long time, he says regardless of the obstacles, just follow your passion.
SHARE ME