Hēnare Walmsley is Māori from the Te Arawa tribes of Tuhourangi Ngāti Wahiao, Ngāti Whakaue, and Ngāti Tuwharetoa. He is an Architect and an accomplished musician in Taonga Pūoro—Māori musical instruments. Brought up on the marae at Whakarewarewa village, Rotorua, Hēnare acknowledges a deep connection with Papatuanuku and Ranginui—Earth Mother and Sky Father—and the many facets of the environment represented in Te Ao Māori (the Māori World).