Two extraordinary pioneers of New Zealand weaving were the subjects of an exhibition at the Auckland Museum in May - November 1999.
The Mulvany Sisters tells the story of Sybil and Josephine Mulvany who, during the late 1920s and the 1930s, established and ran their own business, Taniko Weavers in Auckland. They specialised in "everything for the adornment of the house", from fine table linen to brightly coloured silk scarves and shawls. The sisters first became interested in weaving in 1926, after spending a year travelling throughout Europe. On their return to New Zealand, they realised they were not suited to a life of "endless ... bun parties, bridge [and] gossip" and instead, wanted to learn something that they could do that would suit their "practical and adventurous selves and also add to our pocket".
After discovering a neighbour's loom, Sybil and Josephine enrolled in an intensive three-month course at the London School of Weaving. Before coming back to Auckland in 1927, the sisters acquired looms, spinning wheels and a great quantity of thread with which to establish Taniko Weavers.

The sisters ran a very successful business,considering that they were two women operating during the depression era. Sybil and Josephine closed Taniko Weavers in the mid-1930s after they both married.