Watch: The legacy of Te Maori – Te Waipounamu, a South Island experience
At daybreak on 10 September 1984, karanga heralded the opening of the Te Maori exhibition at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. This exhibition marked a historic moment in the cultural recognition of Māori art, as it was the first time that a collection of taonga Māori were exhibited internationally as art rather than ethnographic objects.
The exhibition toured across the United States and later returned to Aotearoa New Zealand, celebrating the artistry and spiritual significance of taonga. Te Maori elevated the global appreciation of Māori culture, fuelled a cultural renaissance and created a cultural shift that eventually led to the creation of Te Papa Tongarewa.
In this zui-series, National Services Te Paerangi shares the kōrero of Māori who worked in and with museums throughout the past 40 years. They reflect on the influence that this watershed exhibition has had on their lives and the way we engage with taonga.
In Te Waipounamu – a South Island experience, Nathan Pohio (Ngāi Tahu), Artist, Senior Curator, Toi o Tamaki | Auckland Art Gallery hosts a panel discussion with:
Puamiria Parata-Goodall, (Ngāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha, Ngāti Kahungunu) Trust Board Member of Canterbury Museum and Lincoln University Council
Gerard O’Regan (Ngāi Tahu), Research Fellow, James Henare Maori Research Centre, Curator Māori and Pouhere Kaupapa Māori at Tūhura | Otago Museum
Ranui Ngarimu ONZM, (Ngāi Tahu/Ngāti Mutungā) Master weaver and textiles specialist, Pou Whakahaere o Te Waipounamu for the Governor General of New Zealand.
