Maori carving sets sail for Shanghai Expo
19 Feb 2010
A piece of precious Maori art will leave New Zealand shores next week, bound for this year’s Shanghai World Expo.
The waharoa or Maori gateway - carved in the shape of a waka maumahara (ceremonial canoe), is New Zealand’s gift to China, symbolising the close relationship between the two nations.
Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism Mr John Key and the Chinese Ambassador Zhang Limin helped to carve a small section of the waharoa as part of the poroporoaki, or traditional Maori farewell ceremony.
The waharoa will be completed on the forecourt of New Zealand's national pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo (1 May - 21 October), allowing an international audience to observe master carvers at work on the 10 metre-high waka.
Mr Key will then formally present the gift to Chinese representatives at the Expo on 9 July, 2010.
New Zealand culture on the world stage
Named Te Kakano (The Seed), the 10 metre-high and three metre-wide waharoa is being carved by nine carvers from Te Puia, New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute - an iconic and leading Kiwi institution based in Rotorua in the central North Island.
Visitors to the Shanghai World Expo will be given an insight into New Zealand’s culture by watching artists complete the carving onsite. More than 70 million visitors are anticipated for the whole event - about 400,000 visitors daily.
"The waharoa will be left behind as a legacy of the relationship between the two nations and help attract attention to New Zealand’s unique culture and what we offer as a holiday destination," says Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Kevin Bowler.
The New Zealand Expo Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, developed by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, will take visitors through ‘a day in the life of a New Zealand city’, with the emphasis on sustainable urban environments and the relationship between Kiwi cities and nature.
Te Kakano
Te Kakano, or The Seed, is made from a single precious kauri tree, sourced from Northland, near the top of New Zealand’s North Island. The particular kauri log was thought to have lived 3500 years, before being felled more than 100 years ago.
Nine Te Puia carvers headed by master carver James Rickard, who first started his own carving career in 1967 spent 500 hours working on the piece.
Te Kakano, the gateway, will act as a cultural portal between New Zealand and China and an enduring symbol of friendship and respect.
More information
Te Puia - treasuring Maori arts and crafts
Maori master carvers
These topics may also be of interest to you
|
