A 40Ft Leap of Faith
What is The Mana Waka?
- INDIGENOUS WISDOM
- SOUND STUDIO
- CREATIVE HUB
- LIVING CANVAS MURAL
- CULTURE & EDUCATION
- MUSICAL INSPIRATION
- WORKSHOPS
The Mana Waka is a moving mural, mobile studio, and cultural activation platform. A 40ft triple-axle touring coach transformed into a living canvas of ancestral wisdom and environmental stewardship.
This is more than art. It’s a vehicle for social change, engaging youth through hands-on workshops, public murals, and digital storytelling. Artists, elders, and educators join forces to deliver immersive education on Indigenous wisdom, oceanic conservation, and cultural identity, all while travelling to schools, festivals, and regional communities.
The Mana Waka is guided by the stars, grounded in country, and powered by collaboration. It carries the voices of the tide, voices that will be heard, honoured, and passed on.
What impact does it have?
3 INDIGENOUS ARTISTS collaborating
To co-create a public mural that reflects Indigenous knowledge, stories, and conservation values. Knowledge holders or elders are involved in guiding the mural’s cultural narrative and imagery.
3 schools & 1000+ Youths
Hands-on workshops blending art, Indigenous knowledge, and environmental education. Youths are mentored by at least one professional artist and one cultural educator during the mural creation.
Environmental Stewardship
Resulting in increased awareness of traditional ocean and river care-taking practices through reflection activities or presentations covering, marine & river biodiversity, sustainable harvesting & reef health
REGIONAL COMMUNITIES, GLOBAL IMPACT
Invite the Mana Waka to your School, Festival or next community gathering.
Send us a message on the winds…
SUPPORTERS
Celtic Light Ventures
Current sponsor
Oceanic Global
Current Partnership
SEEKING FUNDING
We are currently seeking Grants & Sponsorships to engage artists.
$10K = 3 Artists $100K = 30 Artists
DONATIONS
For those of you who would like to support us outside of Grants or Sponsorships, we are pleased to announce our Fiscal Sponsors – The Olohana Foundation, a registered non-for-profit organisation that ensures all donations are handled transparently. This means your gift is fully tax deductible and will directly support the mission of The Mana Waka.
To ensure your donation is allocated to our project, please add the word ‘WHALESONG’ to the Instructions Box when you complete your details.
The Mana Waka Family
AARON MASON
SOUND ENGINEER
Aaron is a freelance sound engineer for over 20 years who is passionate about music and sound in all its forms. Born in Ohio, USA, Aaron holds a deep relationship to nature and native ways of America, his heart of hearts is to be in service of family, the community and the environment.
He has worked in mixing, ADR, voice-overs and music supervision for documentaries, TV & Film, Radio & commercials at Bell Sound, Hollywood between 2000 and 2012. His production credits include Bafta Award-winning Embarrassing Bodies and 3D feature film Call of the Wind (2009) starring Christopher Lloyd. His live mixing incl’s Love in the Circus 2008-20011 (USA, Bali, Australia), American Blues – Alex Dixon’s The Vintage Room (2008) & The Real McCoy (2020).
Currently Lead Sound Engineer for Encore – an award-winning Audio Visual AV Event Production Company, Australia wide for the past 3 years.
WHAIA – Sonic Weaver
Aotearoa / New Zealand
OCEAN ADVOCATE – WHALEDREAMER
Born of Ngati Kahungunu, Maori tribal descent, WHAIA, ran on the rich red ochre of the Australian outback dessert from the age of 6. Her roots, the land and her Aboriginal grandmother of the Yindjibarndi people in the Pilbara shaping her story from a young age.
As a multi instrumentalist she is a dynamic global musician with her first album dedicated, WHAIA & WATER. Her hand and heart weaves multiple art forms from facilitation, key note speaking, wearable arts and leadership.
Currently serving on the board of Oceanic Global, The Kai’i Foundation in Hawaii, she also a valued member of – A Wisdom Keeper Delegation, bridging ancient wisdom into policy within the UN climate spaces. An artist, activist, alchemical performer, Creative Cultural Producer and mother of 3, her sights are on the future change makers and leaving something bigger than oneself. Her calling is in reaching out to everyday people and uplifting the human spirit through the inspirational and ordinary.
