Whakairo is Māori carving practice, including carved forms, motifs and associated knowledge carried through whakapapa and community custodianship.

In practice

Whakairo appears in tourism in buildings, taonga displays, gateway installations, storytelling spaces and cultural interpretation settings.

IP-services relevance

Whakairo may be reproduced in images, merchandise and destination branding, raising questions about attribution, authorised use and cultural integrity.

Examples

• A tourism business uses carved motifs in logos and brochures.
• Visitor content captures and redistributes whakairo designs across digital platforms.
• A destination campaign commercialises specific carving styles without local consent.