Master weaver and cultural leader Mae Taurua has died in Christchurch at the age of 81.

Mae was a lay canon of ChristChurch Cathedral and well known throughout the country for her exquisite woven artworks. 

She is best known in Christchurch for her creation of the tukutuku panels in ChristChurch Cathedral.

Under the guidance of Mae, the panels were woven and carved by many hands, including craftsmen from Rolleston Prison.

Much of the final weaving took place inside ChristChurch Cathedral, with worshippers and visitors from many countries adding stitches to the design.

The artwork was created in memory of Bishop Allan Pyatt and celebrates the Maori proverb He aha te mea nui? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata (“What is the most important thing in life?  It is people, people, people”).

Mae cared deeply about people. She worked for many years as a social worker at Rolleston Prison and alongside her late husband, Jim, mentoring many young people in a group home.

She was also an active member of the Māori Women’s Welfare League.

Mae served as a lay canon of ChristChurch Cathedral for 12 years from the early 1990s and was made an honorary canon thereafter. She also worshipped at Te Whakaruruhau and contributed much to the life of the church there.

Mae’s legacy lives on through numerous artworks for institutions, government departments, churches and marae around the country.

Her tukutuku panel for ChristChurch Cathedral is now on display at Quake City Museum in Christchurch.

She died in Christchurch on January 16 and will be greatly missed by her whānau, friends and community.