Waiwaiā Tāmoko & Taonga is a Lower Hutt studio for tāmoko, the traditional Māori art of skin marking, and for taonga, or treasured Māori art. It was founded by cousins Carlea and Dani, who wanted a space in Te Awakairangi, the Hutt Valley, for creatives. Carlea owns O'Lala Beauty Bar, and in 2021 she welcomed Dani to practise tāmoko in her space. Their collaboration grew over the next three years into the studio that now operates on Queens Drive in Hutt Central.
The studio says its mission is to give tāmoko and traditional Māori art a place to grow, and to keep indigenous creativity celebrated and preserved for future generations. It describes itself as a community built on respect and creativity, and it aims to be part of a wider revival of Māori artistry. For someone in the Hutt Valley who wants tāmoko done by people who make it their practice, the studio is where that work is done.