Ngarino Ellis

Ngarino Ellis
Ngarino Ellis
OccupationProfessor Art History
Academic background
EducationPhD, MA (Hons), BA/LLB
Alma materUniversity of Auckland
ThesisA Whakapapa of Tradition: Iwirakau Carving 1830 to 1930
Doctoral advisorRoger Neich, Leonard Bell, Elizabeth Rankin, Ngahuia Te Awekotuku
Academic work
DisciplineArt history
Sub-disciplinespecialist toi Māori (Māori arts)
InstitutionsUniversity of Auckland

Ngarino Ellis is a New Zealand academic and author. She is one of only a few in her field of Māori art history and an educator. She is a professor at the University of Auckland. Her first book published in 2016 is titled A Whakapapa of Tradition: One Hundred Years of Ngāti Porou Carving 1830-1930 with photography by Natalie Robertson. It won the Judith Binney Best First Book at the Ockham Book Awards in 2016. Her latest book, Toi Te Mana. An Indigenous History of Maori Art, written with Deidre Brown and Jonathan Mane-Wheoki, won the Illustrated Non-Fiction Award for the Ockhams, New Zealand's national book awards in 2025.