Ōtautahi Tattoo is a Christchurch tattoo studio located at 101/112 Oxford Terrace, right beside the Avon River (Ōtākaro) and the Bridge of Remembrance in the heart of the Garden City. The studio takes its name from Ōtautahi, the Māori name for Christchurch, tied to the legend of the chief Te Potiki-Tautahi who journeyed from ancient Hawaiki.
Founded in 2008 by Brad Cone and Andre Simpson, the studio has a history closely tied to Christchurch itself. It survived the September 2010 earthquake and reopened within days, before the February 2011 earthquake left its original Hereford Street shop inside the city's Red Zone. The team relocated to Auckland's Karangahape Road, later opened a second studio in Queenstown in 2013, and eventually returned to Christchurch's CBD after a temporary stint on Riccarton Road — landing back close to where it all began in 2015.
Today the Christchurch studio is home to a full-time team of artists working across styles including Black & Grey Realism, Fine Line, Full Colour, Traditional & Neo-Traditional, Polynesian, Script/Lettering, Tā Moko & Kirituhi, and Neo-Japanese, alongside visiting guest artists. The studio uses top-tier equipment and ink brands, operates above New Zealand Tattoo Guidelines, and also offers tattoo aftercare guidance and laser tattoo removal.
Beside the Avon River and the Bridge of Remembrance in central Christchurch sits Ōtautahi Tattoo, a studio whose story is as tied to the city's history as its name. Ōtautahi is the Māori name for Christchurch, connected to the legend of Te Potiki-Tautahi, a chief said to have journeyed from ancient Hawaiki in the waka Te Waka Orurea before landing near Wairewa on Banks Peninsula.
The studio was founded in 2008 by Brad Cone and Andre Simpson, two young tattoo artists looking to build a clean, safe and enjoyable place to work in Cone's home city. The team grew over the following years, but Christchurch's history intervened directly: the September 2010 earthquake shook the city, and the shop reopened within three days despite street damage nearby. The February 2011 earthquake was far more devastating, leaving the original Hereford Street premises inside what became known as the Red Zone.
Following the earthquakes, the team made the difficult decision to relocate, setting up on Karangahape Road in Auckland with the help of a sympathetic landlord who gave them a reduced rate to get re-established. A few years later, a staff holiday to Queenstown led Cone and fellow artist Jeremy Hill to fall for the town, and Ōtautahi Tattoo opened a second studio there in 2013, still running under Hill's leadership today.
Eventually, the pull of the South Island brought Cone back to Christchurch. After a temporary stint on Riccarton Road, the studio returned to the heart of the Christchurch CBD, close to where the original shop first began — right beside the Avon River (Ōtākaro) and near the Riverside Market.
Today's Christchurch studio runs as a full-time team rather than a franchise, working across a broad range of tattoo styles. Zoe Zhang works in Black & Grey Realism, Fine Line and Full Colour; Whitney Hannah covers Traditional & Neo-Traditional and Fine Line; and Imogen Scovell specialises in Fine Line. Jiordan Fidow-Kele, Brad Cone and Thomas Henry all work in Polynesian styles, with Cone and Shaun Halbert-Pere also specialising in Script/Lettering and Tā Moko & Kirituhi — traditional Māori tattoo forms. Ben Addison covers Black & Grey Realism and Traditional & Neo-Traditional, while Barron (Baz) Hammond and Ebony Mellowship both bring a wide range spanning Traditional & Neo-Traditional, Full Colour and Neo-Japanese work.
Ōtautahi Tattoo says its shops and equipment go above and beyond the New Zealand Tattoo Guidelines, with regular servicing and cleaning using certified agents. The studio uses top-of-the-line inks, needles and tools from brands including Eternal Tattoo Ink, Dynamic Black Tattoo Ink, Starbrite Colours, Intenze Tattoo Ink, Fusion Tattoo Inks, Work Horse Irons, Dan Kubin Tattoo Machines, Cheyenne Tattoo Machines, Inkjecta, Kwadron and others. Anyone curious about the sterilisation process is welcome to ask staff to walk them through it.
Alongside custom tattoo work, the studio offers tattoo aftercare guidance and laser tattoo removal, rounding out its services for clients at every stage of their tattoo journey.
Ōtautahi Tattoo's Christchurch studio is open seven days a week, with flexible artist availability including a later finish on Thursdays by appointment for after-work clients. Enquiries can be made by phone, email, or through the studio's online contact form, and the team welcomes visitors from around the world alongside guest artists spotting in the shop.