Many Māori living abroad turn to the art of tā moko to stay connected to where they are from, and with the number of Māori currently living on the Gold Coast, one popular tā moko artist has his work cut out for him.
Reece Campbell, famously known as Tāmoko by Reece, moved to the Gold Coast to provide a better lifestyle for his family and it's where he began his work as a tā moko artist.
"I love watching tā moko grow from the day it started to where it's at now," says Campbell.
He says tā moko is popular in Australia but, in some cases, those wanting it are not doing it for the right reasons.
"You'll find that I will decline thousands and thousands of dollars because they don't want it to mean nothing and they want it to look cool. So I'm more about the meaning side of things."
Campbell says that with the number of Māori living in Australia there's a need for tā moko there.
"A lot of Māori over here are pretty much raised here. So they haven't been brought up back home to know to go home to get their moko."
Although his brand is Tāmoko by Reece, his work also includes kirituhi which he bases on his clients' families' achievements and overcoming hard times like depression.
"Non-Māori are getting kirituhi but they are not getting tā moko. Tā moko is pretty much our whakapapa so they can't really relate to it if they don't have the iwi."
Campbell says as long as the person receiving this taonga appreciated it and learns about the meaning behind it then that's all that matters.