That in itself is not unusual given her role as Kauapapa Maori Educator and Exhibition Interpretor at the new Christchurch Art Gallery, Te Puna o Waiwhetu. But in this case, Leisa had just five minutes notice of the arriving pupils to prepare a lesson.

“Fortunately,” says Leisa, “I had already taken a class this morning for 20 kindergarten children, so I used that lesson again.” Leisa’s approach to teaching art is to remove any age barriers to learning basic artistic techniques. “To begin with, I teach students different ways to make lines that create quite different effects — be they 5 or 15-years-old. The principles remain the same.”

Born and schooled in Christchurch, Leisa hails from Ngai Tahu, Ngati Mamoe, Waitaha and Hateatea descent.

After having three children, she completed her Bachelor of Visual Arts, then did a Diploma of Teaching at Massey.

Leisa came back from the Manawatu to Christchurch searching for a position teaching art at a local high school.

But when a role came up at the new gallery, Leisa applied and got the job.

Knowing that there was a lot to achieve in a short time, the first few months on the job were hectic.

“Initially, my role was all about promoting the gallery at schools in the wider Canterbury region.

“Every Tuesday and Thursday during the first three months of this year, we packed up the van and took out the ‘art gallery roadshow’. We went to 250 schools from Timaru to the West Coast and up to Kaikoura, making bookings for school visits as we went.”

The results have paid off. Each day Leisa gives two to three art lessons to groups of pupils from schools around the region — each lesson incorporating a mix of art history, English, mathematics, and technology with emphasis on Maori and Pacific art.