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Wharekoko Toi, Waimarama (2026)

Art as rongoā woven from lived experience. Kia ora, I’m Zena, the artist & wahine behind Dots On Rocks Aotearoa. My journey into painting began with a deeply personal and emotional experience. After my dad passed away, I attended his tangi and stepped onto a marae for the very first time. That experience was transformative—it reconnected me with my Māori roots and opened a door to my culture that

had been closed for the first 30 years of my life. Through this reconnection, I found healing, and my passion for art was reignited. Dots On Rocks was officially founded when I moved to Ruatoria, but the seed for this creative journey was planted when my best friend and cousin, Leah, passed away. It was then that I discovered the power of art through a simple rock, and in managing my mental health and PTSD, I turned to painting as a source of healing. During my time in Ruatoria, this seed grew, and art became my therapy, my expression, and my way of connecting. Now, I’ve moved back to Christchurch to take my art and business into a new chapter. I have a vision to grow a community of healing through the magic of art, and I’m excited to start teaching workshops, sharing my story, and helping others find peace and mindfulness through creativity. With a new home and studio underway, I’m filled with anticipation for the exciting times ahead. Ngā mihi nui for being part of this journey! Mauri ĀIO. Mauri Ora, Mauri Aroha
Zena

12/06/2026

Maybe this season is less about reinventing ourselves and more about remembering.

Remembering who we are beneath the grief, the pain, the burnout, the people pleasing, the expectations, the stories we were told, and the parts of ourselves we had to silence just to survive.

This space was born through healing, art, loss, reconnection, and the quiet magic of finding pieces of myself again.

So if you’re new here, I’m so glad you’re here 🤍

10/06/2026

Being dismissed doesn’t just stay in the moment. Sometimes it follows me home, loops through the night & touches every wound that came before it. This is the part of healing people don’t always see, the aftermath.

09/06/2026

You know what’s dangerous? Feeling dismissed by the people meant to help you.

I walked into a doctor’s appointment today trying to advocate for myself. I had done my research, I knew the questions I wanted to ask. I wanted support and guidance around trialling something that could potentially help me.

Instead… I walked away feeling unheard, shut down, confused and honestly? Frazzled af.

The hardest part wasn’t even leaving without answers. It was the way experiences like this feed the insecure part of me, the part that still questions whether I know myself enough, trust myself enough or deserve to advocate for what I need.

And if I’m honest, that part hurts.

Because when you live with trauma, chronic pain, mental health labels, grief, fibro or complex histories, sometimes it can already feel hard enough to speak up. Then you sit in front of someone who has known you for barely 15 minutes, yet suddenly has power over outcomes in your life.

That power matters. Especially for vulnerable people. Especially for those who don’t have someone beside them advocating with them.

I know our healthcare system is under pressure, I know people are stretched but vulnerable people need to feel heard. We need curiosity. We need care. We need partnership.

Because what’s dangerous is when people stop trusting themselves and start believing their voice doesn’t matter.

And I know I’m not the only wāhine who has walked out of an appointment feeling smaller than when she walked in.

Tell me, have you ever experienced this?

08/06/2026

As wāhine, mothers, wives, carers, business owners & healers, sometimes it feels like our minds never stop. We’re physically present but mentally holding a hundred things at once.

So how do we find peace in the space between it all?

How do we bookmark the thoughts, the story’s on replay & turn down the noise & come back to the moment we’re actually in?

I’d love to know your thoughts or how you bookmark the plates that you’re juggling.

05/06/2026

This build has always been about more than just creating a home but also a space that’s connected to the whenua, the view & the life we want to live. Being nestled beside the park, the awa (river) & the open beauty of the red zone here in Ōtautahi feels like such a privilege, especially while still being so close to the city.

From the very beginning, the biggest intention was to design something that sat alongside the environment rather than competed with it. We wanted the house to feel connected to the outdoors from every angle, to draw the eye outward into the landscape & to create flow between inside & outside so the beauty of where we live feels woven into everyday life. Every choice has been intentional.

Photo 1: The exterior mock-up of the home.We’re leaning into a deep karaka colour palette, wanting earthy tones that complement & blend into the surrounding greenery rather than stand out from it.

Photo 2: A 3D exterior view of the build, giving more perspective of how the home wraps around the site & flows from different angles.

Photo 3: The elevation plan, showing how the house will sit on the section.

Photo 4: Placement of the house on the section. Positioning has been everything, making the most of the views, light & connection to the open spaces around us.

Photo 5: The full floor plan, where you can really see the full vision. We intentionally designed this home so we can comfortably live in it forever, while also ensuring that if lcircumstances changed, it could easily convert back into a 3 bdrm, 2bthrm home for future resale.

Photo 6: A render of the kitchen. The heart & the centre of our home. The long splashback window has always been a non-negotiable.

Photo 7: The cabinetry layout plan for the kitchen wall, showing how everything has been designed to maximise storage, functionality & flow.

Photo 8: The kitchen, laundry & WIP layout. We prioritised creating practical spaces that work for how we actually live.

Honestly, this whole journey feels surreal. Watching something that has lived in our minds & heart for so long slowly become real feels like such a blessing.

04/06/2026

He didn’t see this coming, while quietly minding his own business cooking dinner ‘bam’ I’m in his face. Here is an unprompted & unedited get to know me, while firing him a few questions because who else can describe me better than the man who see the real me all day everyday. Because he choose this wife & he choose this life.

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