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Visual Arts
Close EncountersTaanga Whakaira (Carved Treasures) at Te Papa A very special experience of Te Papa’s Mäori Collection. All carvings have a mauri – a life essence. All carvings make connections through time and have a story to tell. This is an opportunity to see some exceptional carved taonga, some of which are being shown in public for the first time, and hear their stories.
In a series of lunchtime presentations, Te Papa’s Mäori Collection team along with some of Aotearoa’s master carvers and leading Mäori artists will show these exquisite carvings and share their knowledge and expertise on the tradition that is whakairo.
Note: due to the delicate nature of the carvings and specialised conservation requirements, they will be on display only during the presentation. Thu 2 & Fri 3 March
Mark Kopua (Ngâti Ira, Te Aitanga â Hauiti, Ngâti Porou) is a carver and tâ moko artist. After a 23-year career as a traditional carver, Mark began doing tâ moko full-time. Mark will discuss the styles and significant carvers from his area, the East Coast of the North Island.
Thu 9 & Fri 10 March
The work of the carver Anaha Te Rahui and the Ngäti Taräwhai style of carving will be explained by Lyonel Grant (Ngäti Pikiao, Ngäti Rangiwewehi, Te Arawa). Lyonel trained under master carver John Taiapa and carved the meeting houses ‘Matapihi o te Rangi’ in Tokoroa and ‘Ihenga’ in Rotorua. He was the concept developer behind the New Zealand entry for the Chelsea Garden Show exhibit in London in 2004, which won a gold award.
Thu 16 March & Fri 17 March
Clive Fugill (Ngäi Te Rangi, Ngäti Ranginui, Tainui, Ngäti Rangiwewehi) is Master Carver at the Te Puia school of carving in Rotorua, which is renowned for its expertise in the traditional Mäori art form of carving. He will demonstrate and discuss carving techniques using traditional stone tools.
Thu 23
Rangi Hetet (Ngäti Tuwharetoa, Ngäti Maniapoto) began his career with a fraternity of carvers known as Konae Aronui. In nearly 50 years as a carver, Rangi has carved several meeting houses and built four traditional 60-foot waka taua (canoe).
Fri 24
Join Rangi Hetet (Ngäti Tuwharetoa, Ngäti Maniapoto) for a unique back-of-house tour at Te Papa.
"Taonga as art ‑ The issues" - Panel Discussion
Thurs 16 March, 6pm - 7pm. The Marae. Free entry.
Join a stimulating panel discussion on issues relating to the presentation and understanding of taonga Mäori (Mäori cultural treasures) as art: tikanga (customary values), the heritage of the Te Maori exhibition, the continuity and discontinuity between taonga and contemporary Mäori art, appropriation, and much more.
Chaired by Arapata Hakiwai, Director Mātauranga Māori at Te Papa, panellists include:
Robert Jahnke hails from Waipiro Bay on the East coast of the North Island. He holds a Diploma of Teaching, a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Industrial Design, and a Master of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from Elam School of Fine arts. He also has a Masters degree in Film Graphics and Experimental Film Animation from the California Institute of Arts. Jahnke is recognised as one of New Zealand's leading Mäori sculptors and has exhibited extensively throughout New Zealand and internationally since 1982.
Dr Paul Tapsell (Te Arawa, Ngati Raukawa) is Tumuaki (Director Mäori) of Auckland Museum (since 2000) and Curator of the hightly successful Ko Tawa exhibition. He comes from a curatorial background (Rotorua Museum 1990-94) and completed studies at Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford (1995‑98). Paul's curatorial goals include exploring new ways of telling stories by activating taonga-related narratives as remembered by iwi descendants.
Jonathan Mane-Wheoki is Director Art and Collection Services at Te Papa. He is responsible for leading research, curatorial, and collection management functions for Te Papa's Art and Collection Services units. Of Ngā Puhi and English descent, he was educated in Auckland and at the University of Canterbury, and the Courtauld Institute of Art, London. He has been the Dean of Visual and Performing Arts at Canterbury University.
Huhana Smith is Senior Curator (Mäori) at Te Papa. She is affiliated to Ngäti Tukorehe and Ngäti Raukawa. She has a BEd, a Bachelor of Mäori Visual Art (Hons), a postgraduate Museum Studies qualification, and is a PhD candidate.
Photo credit: Wakahuia (detail), mid 1800's, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. No reviews Write a Review | 
02 Mar, 12:15pm 03 Mar, 12:15pm 09 Mar, 12:15pm 10 Mar, 12:15pm 16 Mar, 12:15pm 16 Mar, 6:00pm 17 Mar, 12:15pm 
Approx 45 mins 
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