Photographer Hōne Naera-Scott on a Journey

Dwelling in foreign territory is something fashion photographer Hōne Naera-Scott is used to, Ticia Almazan writes in a story for Vogue Philippines. “Up until my early 20s, I was always just trying to be a chameleon, trying to mirror whatever people wanted to see out of me,” the Auckland-born Filipino-American reflects. Even his accent is one you can’t quite place: a predominantly Kiwi inflection tinged with hints of an American tongue.

Eventually, the grey areas surrounding Naera-Scott’s multicultural identity thrust him into researching about Filipinos as the first settlers in America, a year-and-a-half-long project that hasn’t yet concluded.

His Māori outlook has afforded Naera-Scott peace, perspective, and clarity. It’s why, despite growing up disconnected from Filipino culture, he is now untangling his family history, attempting to master Tagalog, and, surprisingly, restoring a farm.

“The land in New Zealand has been stripped of 80 per cent of its native trees,” he says.

I want to restore my land that I’ve bought, primarily along the riverways, back to native forests.”

Original article by Ticia Almazan, Vogue Philippines, December 4, 2023.

Photo by Hōne Naera-Scott.