Biography
Ata Te Kanawa is the co-founder and project manager of Miromoda, the Indigenous Maori Maori Fashion Apparel Board (IMFAB), an organisation whose mission is to advance the status of New Zealand’s indigenous Maori designers and other fashion industry talent. Since launching Miromoda in 2008, she has advocated for greater diversity and inclusion in modelling by establishing an agency representing talent from Maori and Pasifika communities as well as those of Polyeurasian (mixed Polynesian, European and Asian) heritage.
Te Kanawa produces Maori fashion events, including the Miromoda Showcase at New Zealand Fashion Week in Auckland, and an annual design competition. In addition to her work in fashion, she has helped forge a path for Maori people in other creative industries, generating business opportunities while advocating for the return of toi iho, a trademark of authenticity and quality for Maori arts. Formerly, she published Tu Mai magazine, a bi-monthly publication exploring Maori perspectives on politics, fashion, lifestyle, art and business.