Rueben Tipene

One day, a Māori carver noticed young Rueben's drawings and told him, “If you can draw, you can carve”. From that point on, he would carve anything he could get his hands on. Rueben has carved and painted murals, sculptures, weapons and ornaments, always with a strong design connection to his Māori heritage.  Rueben has whakapapa (ancestral) connections to Ngāpuhi and Ngāi Tahu.