Jacob William Heberley

Jacob William Heberley (11 April 1849–28 June 1906), also known as Hākopa Hēperi, was a New Zealand carver. Of Māori descent, he identified with the Te Ati Awa iwi. He was born in Wellington, New Zealand on 11 April 1849. Heberley created many small carvings such as storehouses, weapons and model canoes, including a storehouse created for the 1901 tour of George V and Mary of Teck (then the Duke of York and Duchess of Cornwall). Apparently self-taught with no strong links to any carving schools, Heberley likely began carving in the late 1860s while living in Petone. such as bowls, tokotoko (walking sticks), none of which depicted his tribal ancestors or were used to define the identity of the owners of the pieces. Among these pieces were gifts for the Coronation of Edward VII and Alexandra commissioned by the premier of New Zealand Richard Seddon, namely a tokotoko and a carved wooden frame for the coronation address to be stored inside. Several pieces such as model waka and pataka (storehouse) were commissioned for Lord Ranfurly and his wife, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York during their royal tour of 1901 (later styled as King George V and Queen Mary of Teck). Heberley died in 1906, aged 56.

After his passing, his nephews Herbert and Thomas Henry continued to carve in a similar style to their uncle, however Heberley's style never formed a part of a community carving tradition. Thomas Henry Heberley working on projects such restoring the Te Hau-ki-Tūranga meeting house on display in Te Papa in 1936.