Learning about bees and the hive became a passion. Bees are completely independent of you. They are not yours. Yet you have a sense of responsibility for the quality of their lives, their larger environment and the site you created for them. Is there a viable queen? How well is she laying? Is that the sound of a healthy hive? Are the bees fat and healthy or are the young bees struggling? Is there a flash of early morning light hitting the hive to excite the start of their day?
My relationship with bees grew out of curiosity and into a kind of love affair. I thought about them obsessively and learnt a lot about the inner workings of the hive. I adored the sights, sounds and smells of the hive, and these preoccupations set me wondering about how I might combine two passions - and be both artist and beekeeper.
Related Stories
Finding their Farm
Charlotte Plummer
Moving is never easy, least of all when you’re headed across the ocean to make a home in a new country. Meet Charlotte Plummer, balancing her veterinary career with farming
The Threads that Bind – Shona Tawhiao
It might not be the most traditional application of mahi raranga, but the work of toi Māori artist, Shona Tawhiao, is both visible and tangible, and that is exactly what
Following the Call
Making the move from her corporate city life in Pōneke Wellington to the rural township of Pōrangahau was a long, tough decision for Tania Nicholas.
The Right Fit
The discovery that she would have to make do with wearing men’s workwear while shearing led Maureen to design her own pair of jeans for the wool shed.
Out Now
Twenty-Sixth Edition
Our beautiful Takurua Winter 2026 Edition is out now.