Elam alumna wins Senior New Zealander of the Year

Elizabeth Aroha Ellis CNZM (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kuta, Ngāti Porou, Ngāi Tane, Te Whānau ā Takimoana), a distinguished leader in Māori art and cultural advocacy, is the Ryman Healthcare Senior New Zealander of the Year for 2025.

An alumna of Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, Ellis graduated from Elam School of Fine Arts in 1964. Her work reflects deep connections to whakapapa, wāhine Māori, and tribal landscapes.

“I feel astonished, overwhelmed and really grateful for receiving such recognition,” says Ellis.

“I mean, when I looked at the other nominees in the senior category, I thought they were all so deserving of recognition. They are people who have achieved a lot throughout their lives and it’s great that our kuia and kaumātua are getting their time to shine.”

She believes just being nominated validates their work.

“It focuses on what they've done during their lives. Now all the kuia and kaumātua in the country can feel good about themselves too. Maybe, upon seeing last night’s awards, they’ve sat down and thought about their own achievements – and I hope that makes them proud.”

Throughout her career, Ellis has played a pivotal role in the arts sector, from her tenure at Te Waka Toi, the premier Māori art awards, to establishing Aotearoa’s first public Māori art gallery.

She has been actively involved with New Zealand Arts Foundation, Creative New Zealand, and the Wairau Māori Art Gallery Charitable Trust.

Since 2010, she has chaired the Toi Iho Charitable Trust and was an inaugural trustee of the Judith Binney Trust Te Toimairangi o Te Aroha since 2013.

Ellis is also known for her contributions to international cultural advocacy. She led delegations to Berlin, Pilsen, and San Francisco with the Lindauer Māori Portraits exhibition and represented New Zealand on the Council of Pacific Arts and Culture (SPC Noumea) from 1996 to 2006. She has also led NZ delegations with Dame Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu to Pacific Arts Festivals in Sāmoa, New Caledonia and Palau. She also served on the International Federation of Arts Councils and Cultural Agencies from 1999 to 2006.

Beyond governance, her professional background includes art education and education evaluation in the Education Review Office. Ellis is a Life Member of the Auckland Institute and Museum (since 1964) and dedicated seven years to the New Zealand Arts Foundation, three years to the CNZ Council, and nine years as Chair of Te Waka Toi, the Māori Arts Board of CNZ (1994–2006).

Her legacy extends beyond her personal achievements; she is the mother of the University’s Professor Ngarino Ellis, an eminent art historian in the Faculty of Arts and Education, and Hana Ellis, who is a District Court Judge. She is also the wife of the late Emeritus Professor Robert Ellis, a notable artist who was a longtime lecturer at Elam and was awarded a personal chair in 1992.

“I am incredibly proud of our whānau, being best friends with my daughters is also the real reward,” says Ellis.

She also thinks of her tūpuna and whānau in Ngāti Kuta of Ngāpuhi, who she describes as “exceptional artists”.

“When you go into the dining room of our marae, there are six murals that are about the history of our rohe, our area. They were made at a wānanga in the mid-80s where we went, and we had a live-in of artists who are now our top Māori artists, but at the time they were students. A win like this just validates things like the history for our whānau.”

She says that the murals tell the story in visual form, “and this award adds another layer of history for our Te Rāwhiti Marae and for our whānau".