Ngakinga Natural Dye Workshops

About this Event

Step into the garden and watch plants turn into colour! This workshop takes you from growing and harvesting dye plants, to mordanting fabric, to making a dye bath, and finally transforming fibre into beautiful, unique hues.

It’s playful, unstructured, and hands-on—participants are invited to explore, experiment, and learn through doing and getting messy.

What You’ll Do

• Harvest flowers and dye plants from the garden 🌸

• Prepare a bubbling, colourful dye bath together

• Dip, swirl, and watch fabric magically change colour 🎨

• Explore, play, and make one-of-a-kind pieces

Every piece is a surprise—and every participant is an artist!

Fabric

Some fabric will be supplied, but you’re welcome to bring your own small-ish piece.

If bringing your own:

• It must be a natural fibre (cotton, linen, silk, wool, etc.)

• Old favourites work perfectly: t-shirts, tea towels, or tank tops

• Scour it at home: wash in hot water with soda ash or natural detergent and rinse well

Practical Info

• All ages welcome 🌱

• Location: Papa ki Awataha | Jessie Tonar Scout Reserve ~ directions here! (end of Kaka Street, Northcote)

• This is all outdoors, so bring covered shoes, sun protection, and a drink bottle

• Come ready to get your hands colourful and messy!

About Ngakinga

Artist Holli McEntegart has collaborated with Charmaine Bailie (Te Uri o Hau – Ngāti Whātua ki Kaipara) to grow a natural dye garden on a 200-square-metre site at Papa ki Awataha—the home of the puna that feeds Te Awataha.

Ngakinga is a living sculpture garden, growing plants chosen for their dyeing magic. Here, native and introduced species mix, honouring Indigenous knowledge and celebrating colour-making traditions.

It’s a space to gather, reflect, and create across seasons—with your feet in the soil, your hands in flowers, and your imagination running wild. We explore decolonisation, ecosystem regeneration, sustainable practice, and connection to whenua, all while turning plants into art.

At Northart Gallery, a parallel installation will feature hand-dyed banners tracing the Inhabit project’s journey through its first three iterations. Find the EcoFest listing for this exhibition here.

NgaHuru Celebration – 29 March

The event on the 29th of March will not be a workshop session, but a lively outdoor celebration of NgaHuru (Autumn). All are welcome to attend, no booking required.

This project is in collaboration with Uru Whakaaro and  is supported by The Tīpuna Project, Auckland City Council Creative Communities Scheme,  NORTHART and the Kaipātiki Project.

We acknowledge Mana Whenua as the kaitiaki of this land, and their tūpuna past, present, and emerging. 🖤🤍❤️