Objectspace Gallery Assistant, Alex Watene, joined the team as part of a Ngāti Whātuā Ōrakei internship programme in 2023. Part of his mahi during the internship was research into album covers by Māori musicians, both historic and contemporary.

Alex’s investigation formed the foundation of a collection of records now displayed as part of Pohewa Pāhewa: Te Rūma. The exhibition of album covers, spanning 1951 to 2025, is a modest reflection of the extraordinary breadth of Māori music that has been produced over the past 75 years. 

As part of Alex’s research, he was able to connect with some of the musicians and bands that feature in the display. He asked them for insights into the design of their album covers. 

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Fat Freddy’s Drop
Based on a True Story, 2005 
The Drop 
Artwork: Dallas Tamaira 
Design: Michelle Healey & Component  

Alex Watene: What is the kaupapa behind the album cover design and who did you work with?  

Fat Freddys Drop: The bro Dallas aka Joe Dukie did the original illustrations, his partner Michelle then created the album design for the CD and vinyl. Same duo behind the HOPE 10” characters and design. We worked with long time collaborators Inject Design to get this packaged for printing and album was out the gate. Freddys was based by the sea in Lyall Bay during the making of the album, and Dallas was inspired by the stories of Ngake and Whātaitai, the two taniwha in Wellington Harbour and this led to the creation of 'Noodle' on the album. The photos on the album, behind the scenes, are by Amelia Hands Comb, partner of Tony Chang, Fat Freddys Drop trumpet maestro. 

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Herbs 
Whats' Be Happen?, 1981 
Warrior Records 
Design: Herbs Management 
Photography: Merita Mita, Bastion Point Eviction Day, May 25th 1978 

Alex interviewed his Uncle Maurice Watene at his home and asked him about the kaupapa behind this legendary album cover.

AW: Uncle mentioned that he wasn’t in the band at the time but explained that the album was created in support of the Māori protest movement during the 1970s and 1980s. This movement focused on issues such as land rights, tikanga and culture. The photograph depicts the 1977–1978 protest against Robert Muldoon's proposal to develop Takaparawhau (Bastion Point) into an affluent residential neighbourhood. Uncle also noted that the album addressed international political issues, including the controversial 1980 Springboks tour which drew widespread criticism due to South Africa's apartheid policies.  

Herbs 
Light of the Pacific, 1983 
Warrior Records 
Design: Barry Linton

Uncle Maurice mentioned that The Light of the Pacific album was another design in reflection of a political movement – this time against nuclear bomb testing in the Pacific, particularly French Polynesia and surrounding islands. He talked about the impacts of these tests that meant seawater was contaminated with radiation, resulting in numerous birth complications and continuing to still impact those who were involved.   

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Mokotron 
Waerea, 2024 
Sunreturn 
Artwork: James Paratii Lainchbury 
Design: Tim Checkley 

AW: I emailed the artist James Paratii Lainchbury who designed the album cover and asked him about Mokotron’s Waerea album cover.

James Lainchbury: Mokotron the "character" is something that Tiopira [McDowell] and I develop every new release. He is a kaitiaki figure, an ancient / future protector, emerging from te kore since the dawn of time. I love Japanese Mecha / Giant Robots and my art work is a fusion of whakario forms and that. If you look at my website you can see this has been a theme for many years. 

The album concept is pretty simple. A hapu is moving around, searching for kainga hou, Mokotron is hovering above them, protecting their journey. Visible? maybe? Stretching out into the northern horizon in the distance you can see the two English frigates in a sea of blood heralding the incoming future colonization. 

This theme was explored in more detail in the Ohaki music video by Simon Ward and myself.