Caption – from left: Toihoukura Associate  Professor Steve Gibbs with Dr Jack Richards and honours student Catherine August, Kaaterina Kerekere, Melanie Tangaere-Baldwin and Melanie Tahata at Tairawhiti Museum.

Gisborne-based arts patron Dr Jack Richards continued his support of EIT Maori Art and Design scholars this week, by giving four Toihoukura post graduate students scholarships towards their masterate studies.

The four successful students were Catherin August, Kaaterina Kerekere, Melanie Tangaere-Baldwin and Melanie Tahata. Their work features in Toihoukura’s  Hawaiiki Hou exhibition at the Tairawhiti Museum over the summer.

Toihoukura Associate Professor Steve Gibbs commended the students on their strong, vibrant works and thanked Dr Richards for his continuing support of the school.

Toihoukura had been running for 25 years, and Dr Richards had been giving financial assistance to students for 24 of those years.

Dr Richards said his association with Toihoukura had started by chance during a trip home when he was still based in Hong Kong.

After a conversation with Sandy Adsett he had agreed to help support the students in some way.

Since then he had enjoyed seeing the work of Toihoukura students maturing over the years and diversifying into other art forms.