Maiangi Waitai was born in 1972 in Wanganui, New Zealand. She is of Ngati Apa, Nga Wairiki, Tu Wharetoa and Rangitane descent.
Maiangi developed her principle passion, painting, while studying at Wanganui Polytechnic. During this time she also explored a number of other mediums, for example music and film. She completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with distinction in 1999, and that year also received the Te Waka Toi Scholarship for Mäori Art. Since completing her degree, she has held numerous shows both in Wellington and in Wanganui.
She has produced several murals for public and private spaces, and she now splits her time between painting, producing mixed media works for exhibition and the design and production of clothes and jewelry for her label 'Who is Dead Martin', which is stocked in Auckland, Wellington and Sydney, Australia. Maiangi has also spent a considerable amount of time traveling; two years in Japan, and four months in Europe. She considers the latter in particular to be significantly inspirational.
Maiangi's work explores whimsical themes. For instance, her most recent show at Bowen Galleries, Clear Scene, features kaleidoscopic spaces inhabited by curious characters; horses, females, and a 'Wolf Angel'. She continues to explore the tension between the real and the unreal, particularly when considering the dialogue across her work's various mediums.
Maiangi is about to embark on a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education.