Cora-Allan Lafaiki Twiss

Cora-Allan Lafaiki Twiss (née Wickliffe) is a multi-disciplinary artist of Maori (Nga Puhi, Tainui) and Niuean descent. A contemporary practitioner of the Niuean tradition of barkcloth known as Hiapo, she is credited with reviving the "sleeping artform" which has not been practised in Niue for several generations.

Her Hiapo works deconstruct and reconstruct the decorative elements of the traditional form – delicate botanical drawings and abstract patterns – to create a contemporary interpretation. In creating the work she draws freehand on the hiapo cloth, which she has made, using traditional pigments made from plants. Lafaiki Twiss has a Masters in Visual Art and Design from AUT and although early in her career has attracted considerable attention with her work written about in New Zealand's two leading art magazines. In 2021, she had artists residencies at Te Whare Hera Massey University Wellington, and McCahon House which said she was chosen for the way she "weaves together and embraces history, contemporary thought and personal exploration along with form, representation and symbolic imagery". In 2020 she won the Creative New Zealand Arts Pasifika Award. She has work in wide-ranging collections including Te Papa and Auckland Museum.