Ariana Tikao

Ariana Tikao is a Kāi Tahu writer and musician based in Ōtautahi. She was awarded as a New Zealand Arts Laureate in 2020, and has co-written two books, Mokorua: My story of moko kauae in 2022, and Te Rā: The Māori Sail in 2023. Ariana was an Ursula Bethell writer in residence at the University of Canterbury in 2023, and is working on her first poetry collection.