Frederick John Graham (1 September 1928 â 9 May 2025) was a New Zealand artist and educator recognised as a pioneer in the contemporary MÃÂori art movement. In 2018, Graham was the recipient of an Icon Award from the Arts Foundation of New Zealand, limited to 20 living art-makers. In December 2024, he was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to MÃÂori art.
Graham was born on 1 September 1928 in Arapuni in South Waikato. He was affiliated with the MÃÂori iwi NgÃÂti Korokë Kahukura and Tainui. vHe trained as a teacher at Ardmore Teachers' Training College and specialised in art in his third year. He taught art at schools and in the 1950s he worked as an arts advisor to MÃÂori primary schools in Rotorua and Te Tai Tokerau. One of his students was Nigel Brown, who went on to become a well known New Zealand artist. Graham was also a keen rugby player when he was younger and was briefly in the MÃÂori All Blacks rugby team (he played three games with them).
Graham taught art at Palmerston North Teachers' Training College from 1957 until 1962. He had a studio in Waiuku where he lived with his wife Norma. Graham died on 9 May 2025, at the age of 96.
His son Brett Graham is also a sculptor, known for works such as ' (1996).
Graham is known for his contemporary MÃÂori art sculptures that reflect current themes and draw on MÃÂori traditions. He worked alongside other MÃÂori artists such as Ralph Hotere, Cliff Whiting, and Paratene Matchitt from the late 1950s in founding a contemporary MÃÂori arts movement. He said in an interview on Radio New Zealand:
<blockquote>In the 40s, just after the war, MÃÂori art was traditional art â carving and that kind of thing. But for the first time a lot of MÃÂori had gone to teachers' college and the ideas around that time were changing. As young students, we wanted to follow our own path rather than follow the traditional path.</blockquote>
Graham's work has been exhibited and sold to collectors with both New Zealand and international interest.
Graham's public sculptures are found in many places throughout New Zealand, including many in Auckland. Bird forms - which could represent people or environmental issues - were often in his work. This is a selection of his public sculptures:
In 2017, Graham was awarded Te Tohu mà  Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, the exemplary/supreme award at the Te Waka Toi awards.
In the 2018 New Year Honours, Graham was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to MÃÂori art. Later in 2018, he was named an Arts Foundation Icon. In the 2025 New Year Honours, Graham was promoted to Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to MÃÂori art.