Christine Harvey

Harvey was born in Christchurch. She has both Moriori and Māori heritage, and belongs to the Māori iwi (tribes) of Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri, Te Ātiawa ki Te Tauihu, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, and Kāti Māmoe.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Harvey began her career in the mid-1990s;^[3] initially she trained as a painter, but became interested in tā moko as a part of her Māori heritage.^[6] She was mentored by Māori artist Riki Manuel.^[3] The start of her career coincided with a revival of interest in tā moko as an art form and particularly a revival of moko kauae, chin tattoos worn by women.^[7] New Zealand news website Stuff has described her as being at the "forefront" of the revival of tā moko.^[8]

She has designed and inked traditional tā moko all over New Zealand, and many customers request her work because she is one of few women who practice the art.^[3][6][9] She uses modern tools as well as traditional uhi (chisels) carved from bone.^[9][8] She was the artist for Ariana Tikao's moko kauae, and Tikao wrote a book about the experience (together with photographs by Matt Calman and Māori language text by Ross Calman) called Mokorua (published by Auckland University Press in 2022).^[1][8][2]

Harvey also has some experience in whakairo (traditional Māori carving); in 2021 she was one of eight female Māori artists whose traditional carvings were featured in an online and in-person exhibition held by Toi Māori Aotearoa.^[10]

As of 2017^[update] Harvey was also working as an art teacher at Te Kura Whakapūmau Te Reo Tūturu ki Waitaha school in Christchurch.^[3] She homeschooled her five children,^[4] and one of her daughters is also a tā moko artist.^[5]

• Podcast – Tā moko featuring Harvey and others, hosted by the Christchurch City Libraries website, 18 September 2018