Maori in world focus | Auckland News | Local News in Auckland

The changing face of Maori culture will be on display for the world to see when a new exhibition travels the globe, as Rebecca Blithe explains.

On the walls of a Polish castle, the faces of Maori leaders will be displayed in an international exhibition set to challenge the world's perceptions of our indigenous people.

Honours student and researcher for the book accompanying the exhibition, Hirini Tane (Ngati Rahiri, Ngati Kawa), says when he talks to friends in America, they have a pretty warped idea of Maori and New Zealand. "As far as they're concerned, Maori are still in grass skirts and New Zealand is a one-lane street. It's great to have something so contemporary to exhibit," he says.

The trio behind the exhibition and the book, Te Ara, Maori Pathways for Leadership, will offer audiences in Poland, Shanghai (China), Oxford (UK), and New York a new insight. Otago University professor and dean of Maori Studies, Paul Tapsell (Ngati Whakaue, Ngati Raukawa), is one of the book's two authors. 

"It tells the stories [of Maori] by transcending language. There's no photos of people in grass skirts. It offers insight into Maori contributing to the global community. It's snapshots of what's happening on the other side of the world."

Fellow author and director of the University of Auckland's Maori Research Centre, Merata Kawharu (Ngati Whatua, Ngapuhi), says it is also about honour.

"From a Maori point of view, it's recognising and celebrating the contribution of past and present leaders and looking at the potential of our children as the next generation of leaders.

"From a Maori way of thinking, we look to the past to get a sense of the future," she says.

Photographer Krzysztof Pfeiffer, originally from Poland, has gathered 33 portraits of Maori leaders from the past, present and future to be interspersed with his images of the New Zealand landscape.

Mr Pfeiffer, a photographer based at Auckland War Memorial Museum, has worked with Maori people and artefacts for almost 20 years. "I was always interested in other cultures and, for me, this exhibition is very exciting. This is an adventure. I know Polish
people are very interested in different cultures. Maori are largely unknown. They want to know more," he says.

About 20 Maori will accompany the trio to the opening of the exhibition in Poland on September 22.

Mr Tapsell says the international scale of the exhibition is well timed as countries increasingly are turning to indigenous cultures for methods of sustainability.

"Especially in America, this is happening. Growing up in highly populated areas, they understand the need for change. The images of landscapes carry this underlying message."

Mr Tane agrees the exhibition comes at a poignant point, and not just for issues of sustainability. "This is a critical time for leadership. There's this void at present. When you look at the Treaty settlement, who do we have in place? We have all these amazing examples of past leaders."

Mr Tane's brother, Renata Tane, has also carved a taonga which will be displayed in the centre of the exhibition to carry the essence of the people to the various sites. Funding  has come from Otago and Auckland universities, and from the efforts of individuals around the country.

Our turn 

In 1984, the Te Maori exhibition at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and later, other venues around the US, was a resounding success.

The Te Ara, Maori Pathways for Leadership exhibition will return to New Zealand in July 2011 for display at the University of Auckland Business School.