Scuptures In Wood Exhibition by John Greenwood 2-16 August 2026

We are delighted to invite you to our upcoming exhibition, Sculptures In Wood, presenting the monumental timber sculptures of John Greenwood.

I first began carving in 2006 when I was selling a property at Matauri Bay and was searching to commission a sculpture for the entrance.During that time, I had discovered Kerry Strongman, a talented Mãori carver from Kaiwaka. We quickly became friends, and whenever I travelled north and had the chance to visit, I would spend time with him learning and talking to him about carving.
One day he simply said to me, "John, you can do this, you understand it."
The next time I visited, he handed me a chainsaw and a piece of wood, and I have been carving ever since.

My work is strongly inspired by my Mãori heritage, Ngati Maniapoto, and features large pieces that are deeply symbolic and traditional in form. Talso enjoy carving three-dimensional shapes, and symbolic people.
What I love most is the freedom of expression carving gives me. There is something incredibly rewarding about taking a raw piece of wood and transforming it into something meaningful and breathing life into it.