The work was originally made for Whakamamae ('to feel pain'), an exhibition Rapira Davies had with painter Robyn Kahukiwa at the Wellington City Art Gallery in 1988. Ngā Morehu pays tribute to the strength and resilience of Māori women.
The work depicts the , the call of welcome performed by women which begins ceremonial occasions, through a group of terracotta figures arranged on an unfinished  (woven flax mat). The  is mentioned by Rapira Davies as being the defining component of the piece.