Founded in 1997 by our longest standing member and acclaimed artist Dot Barnes, we ran as the Ohakune Art Awards until 2003 when we re-branded under Waimarino—meaning "Still Waters" in Maori and our governance umbrella sponsor became Raetihi Promotions Charitable Trust. In 2018 we went National, targeting regional NZ. This year our event management and new website have been partner sponsored and managed by registered non profit Flow Trust, founded by Vivienne Tobassa Eggers who has family and cultural community links in the Ruapehu region.  Vivienne (M Arts, M Int Law & Human Rights) has significant experience in culture Arts and professional management and charity, including UN advisory for Creative Economy and Transformation.  

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Our mission is to enable artists and photographers of all ages and skill to showcase their creativity, gain experience, be recognized and have a chance to compete for prizes awarded by our expert judges.

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WAA gives locals, visitors and those passionate about creative arts and culture an opportunity to experience, enjoy and even purchase artistic works by our creative talent in New Zealand. Many of our participants are already recognized artists; many more artworks will be valuable assets in the future. Flow Trust collaborates with organisations and people to facilitate creativity projects that build community relationships, enhance our towns, environment and wellness—improving quality of life of our people, in our places and for our planet.

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MANY OF OUR WEBSITE IMAGES ARE THE ARTWORKS OF PREVIOUS YEAR ENTRANTS—VIEW MORE IN OUR GALLERY