What makes a master carver? 

Jared Pere working on an intricate Maori carving

We hope you enjoy this quick video simply made and humbly shared – it’s amazing how much can be told in 51 seconds without uttering a word. First, a little background on Jared Pere, Master Carver, and Foreman of the PCC Carvers Department.  

“The first thing I carved”, Jared shares, “was a Wheku (a carved representation of a human face – commonly seen as a koruru, the head of an ancestor, depicted at the gable of a wharenui) in 1969 with chisels given to me from my uncle Ollie McKay who was one of the master carvers on the buildings in the Maori Village. I carved a lot of pieces through the years. In 1978 I started learning traditional Maori carving from Uncle Barn (Epanaia Christy).”

“I attended BYUH and took all of the art classes…and didn’t graduate. However, in 2008 I moved to Turanga–nui-a-Kiwa, Aotearoa to attend “Toihoukura” (Maori art school). There I received my BA in Maori Visual Art and Design.” 

Enjoy!