Behind the lens
Kia ora, I'm Kia
Photographer, spiritual activist and witness to the fire that moves through women who are changing the world.
I don't take photographs of women. I witness them, and the camera remembers.
My story
A witness first
Long before I held a camera, I was the one who noticed: the shift in a room, the truth behind a smile, the moment someone finally let themselves be seen. My training in spiritual direction taught me to hold space for that moment. Photography gave me a way to keep it.
Today I bring both into every shoot. I tend the woman first, and the images follow.
The name
Haerenga, the journey
Haerenga means journey. I named this work after my first woven korowai (cloak), Te Whatu Haerenga, the woven journey.
Weaving taught me that something precious is made thread by thread, with patience and intention. I hold every photoshoot the same way.
Mission & vision
Why Haerenga Imagery exists
My mission
To capture the holy fire within women who are creating change, so the people they serve can see, hear and feel them completely.
My vision
A world where the women reshaping it are seen as they truly are, never filtered or flattened, and where being witnessed is honoured as an act of power. Every image becomes part of a bigger story: women rising to transform the systems around us.
Why I use te reo Māori (the Māori language)
Every name carries a meaning
My koro (grandfather) belonged to a generation who were punished for speaking our language and living our culture. I was born in Australia with a freedom he never had: the choice to learn it. Something in me rose up to take that choice and to keep our language alive.
That's why each part of this work carries a Māori name, always with the English beside it. Wahine (woman), whaea (teacher, auntie), haerenga (journey). I'm still early in my learning, and I share it with humility, grateful for the privileges that make it possible. Every time I use these words, I'm learning too.
He kākano ahau i ruia mai i Rangiātea.
I am a seed sown from Rangiātea. I carry my ancestors wherever I go.
Beyond the lens
Mother, student, devotee
I'm a devoted mother and partner, a passionate psychology student and a lover of horses. Out under the open sky is where I feel nearest to God, and where I return to refill my own fire.
Alongside my photography, I'm a spiritual activist. You can find that work at kiawest.com.au.
Your fire is ready to be witnessed. I'd be honoured to hold the lens.