Photos courtesy of Our Lakes, Our Future - Te Mana o Te Wai, Te Mauri o Te Wai
Understanding Lakes
Art fundraiser
Aotearoa is restless; glaciers, volcanoes, earthquakes, ocean currents, and rivers have shaped more than 3,800 natural lakes, and humans have created at least 1,000 more.
Do you know the nearest lake to you? Do you know how it was formed? Or how it is feeling? Do not feel badly if you don’t - so many lakes are hidden away on private land or in remote national parks. And too often lakes are talked about as problems rather than living ecosystems to get to know, rich with their own stories and whakapapa.
Lakes deserve more of our attention, so we are making a book about lakes, for everyone.
It is going to be beautiful, professional, cool, and chaotic. We have an amazing, big, lake loving family of over 30 authors, and the incredible Ruby Ash on illustration.
The book will be published in te reo Māori and English, and be available for FREE for schools and libraries.
To help fund printing and distribution, we are auctioning and raffling off some incredible paintings, ceramics, jewelry, sculptures, and wearable art by artists from around Aotearoa. All proceeds will go towards the printing and distribution of free books for schools.
Scroll down or click on the tiles below to see more.
Photos courtesy of Our Lakes, Our Future - Te Mana o Te Wai, Te Mauri o Te Wai
Understanding Lakes
Art fundraiser
Aotearoa is restless; retreating glaciers have carved giant depressions in the land, volcanic crater lakes have been blasted into existence, earthquakes have shook the hills until landslides damn valleys, ocean currents blocked off sections of the coast with barriers of sand or shell, and rivers leave behind bends as they meander across the land.
There are over 3800 naturally formed lakes in Aotearoa. Do you know the nearest one to you? Do you know how it was formed? Or how it is feeling? Do not feel badly if you don’t - so many lakes are cut off, located on private land or in remote national parks.
And lakes that are accessible or presented in the media are often portrayed as problems rather than living ecosystems to get to know, each with their own rich and amazing stories.
Lakes do not have enough of our attention!
So we are writing a book about lakes, for everyone.
It is going to be beautiful, professional, cool, and chaotic.
We have an amazing, big, lake loving family of authors, and the incredible Ruby Ash on illustration.
The book will be published in te reo Māori and English, and be free for schools and libraries.
AUCTION: Piki Atu Ngā Tuna - Rīhari Warnock
AUCTION: Ruby and silver ring - Turumeke Harrington
AUCTION: Kahu's Rest - Victor Webster
RAFFLE: Kererū vase - Alex Jones
RAFFLE: Tīoioi scarf & Kōkopu painting
AUCTION: Kākahi carving - Mark Warnock
RAFFLE: Silver fold signet ring - Turumeke Harrington
AUCTION: Tētahi Tuna - Rīhari Warnock
RAFFLE: Hāneanea Tuna
Piki Atu Ngā Tuna
Rīhari Warnock
Original painting in recycled wooden frame.
Unframed size: W3900 × H4900 mm
Tuna spawn thousands of kilometers from the shores of Aotearoa somewhere in the pacific ocean. Their juveniles float back to Aotearoa on ocean currents as tiny leptocephali, which transform into transparent glass eels and then elvers . Elvers can scale rocks and waterfalls and migrate inland to lakes, rivers, and streams, where they will grow into adult tuna. Piki Atu Ngā Tuna depicts hundreds of elvers climbing a waterfall.
This is a silent auction for Piki Atu Ngā Tuna
If you’d like to make a bid, enter your details and the amount in the form below.
The auction closes on 7 August 2026. If you make the winning bid, we will contact you by email to arrange payment and transport of your artwork (exciting!).
By submitting this form, you agree to purchase the artwork if your bid is successful.
Ruby Ring
Turumeke Harrington
Stirling silver and lab grown ruby ring.
Size #
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Turumeke Harrington - Kāi Tahu, Rangitāne - works at the intersection of art and design. Turumeke uses colour, form, function, and materials to create engaging and playful work that interrogates complex issues through humour and wry observation.
This is a silent auction for Ruby Ring
If you’d like to make a bid, enter your details and the amount in the form below.
The auction closes on 7 August 2026. If you make the winning bid, we will contact you by email to arrange payment and transport of your ring.
By submitting this form, you agree to purchase the artwork if your bid is successful.
Kahu’s Rest
Victor Webster
Original artwork
Size: W4200 x H5900 mm
Victor created Kahu’s Rest at Kahu’s rest - his house boat moored on Waiheke Island.
Every summer Victor returns to Kahu’s rest for the summer from his home in California.
This piece records one lunar cycle of the oceans’ tide - each line represents an hour passing, the light and dark blocks mark a.m and p.m, and the red follows the rising and falling tide.
Victor added a meticulously printed block each day to create this beautiful tide chart.
Some big lakes also have tide-like movements called seiches. Lake Wakatipu is known for its regular seiche - every 27 minutes the water rises and falls by about 20 cm at the Queenstown end of the lake.
This is a silent auction for Kahu’s rest.
If you’d like to make a bid, enter your details and the amount into the form below.
This auction closes on 7 August 2026. If you make the winning bid, we will contact you by email to arrange payment and transport of your artwork.
By submitting this form, you agree to purchase the artwork if your bid is successful.
Kererū Vase - Raffle
Alex Jones
Large hand built ceramic vase or sculpture by Alex Jones.
Materials: Clay, White slip & iron oxide
Approx Size: W300 x H370mm
ABOUT THE MAKER:
Alex is a self taught ceramic artist who hand-builds pots from iron heavy stoneware clay. Alex makes sculptures and barely functional pots, each with a unique personality and opinion. You can find more of Alex’s work for sale at Public Record.
Make a donation and you will be automatically entered into the draw for the Kererū Vase - you can also enter for free!
If you would not like to enter the draw, please indicate so on the form that follows.
The raffle will be draw on 7 August 2026 - If you are the lucky winner, we will be in touch to arrange shipping.
If we do not hear from you by 14 August 2026, the raffle will be re-drawn.
All proceeds go to printing free books for schools in Aotearoa.
Tīoioi & Kōkopu Raffle
Win a super soft, luxurious, practical, and wearable piece of art AND something special for the wall (so it doesn’t feel left out).
Kōkopu painting by Rīhari Warnock
Tīoioi scarf by Decoy knitwear & Rīhari Warnock
Inverted double sided Jacquard knit scarf
Made of 100% New Zealand & Australian merino
45cm x 250cm
Made in Te Whanganui-a-Tara
ABOUT THE MAKER:
DECOY was started by Sophia Smolenski, who as always just wants to make cool things with cool people - with the aim not to kick our doomed planet while it’s already down, and not exploit anyone in the process.
Enter the raffle below.
200 Tickets are available, numbered by order of purchase. No limit on the number of tickets you can purchase.
The raffle will be draw on 7 August 2026 - If you are the lucky winner, we will be in touch to arrange shipping. If we do not hear from you by 14 August 2026, the raffle will be re-drawn.
All proceeds go to printing free books for schools in Aotearoa.
Kākahi carving
Folded silver ring - Raffle
Enter the raffle below.
200 Tickets are available, numbered by order of purchase. No limit on the number of tickets you can purchase.
The raffle will be draw on 7 August 2026 - If you are the lucky winner, we will be in touch to arrange shipping. If we do not hear from you by 14 August 2026, the raffle will be re-drawn.
All proceeds go to printing free books for schools in Aotearoa.
Tētahi Tuna
Rīhari Warnock
Original painting in recycled wooden frame.
Artwork size: W3200 × H4300 mm
Rīhari Warnock’s Tuna are well known and loved - this solo tuna is swimming amongst a bed of kākahi running with īnanga.
This is a silent auction for Tētahi Tuna
If you would like to make a bid, please enter your details and bid amount into the form below.
The auction ends on 7 August 2026. If you make the winning bid, we will contact you by email to arrange payment and transport of your artwork.
By submitting this form, you agree to purchase the artwork if your bid is successful.
Hāneanea Tuna raffle
Tuna kuwharuwharu, or Longfin tuna, have lived in Aotearoa for over 80 million years. They are the largest freshwater eel species in the world, and have an incredible, mysterious life cycle.
This Tuna was fun to make. Her name is Hāneanea which means to be comfortable. She is soft and will not bite your fingers when you reach into an undercut bank - This tuna prefers the couch.
Like a real longfin, she has wrinkles in her bends, shining eyes, and long powerful fins.
Made from 99% recycled materials (only the thread and her wee nostrils were bought new).