Mike Lilian is a highly respected willow basket weaver based in Kakanui, New Zealand. He is recognised as one of New Zealand’s foremost practitioners of traditional willow basketry. Mike is a self-taught artisan who turned his passion for craft into a lifetime’s work — leaving his previous job to devote himself full-time to basket weaving.
He grows and harvests his own willow on his Kakanui property, ensuring that every basket is made from locally-sourced materials and hand-woven with traditional tools and techniques. Mike’s work blends deep historical research with material mastery, and he has studied heritage methods both in New Zealand and abroad, including time refining skills in France at the Coopérative de Vannerie.
His dedication to preserving and perfecting traditional basketry — from everyday market baskets to intricate forms like the Périgord spiral weave — has won him a reputation for quality, authenticity, and craftsmanship.
