Greenstone mere makes historic journey home to the north

MEDIA RELEASE 

A greenstone mere once owned by Hongi Hika will be welcomed home at the 2012 Ngāpuhi Festival more than 180 years after it was first gifted to the Marsden family.

Now held at Auckland Museum, the mere is one of four taonga (treasures) that will be displayed from the museum’s collection. The museum previously shared taonga with the festival when it was held in Auckland but this is the first time collections items have been taken to the festival in Kaikohe.

The mere was gifted to Reverend Samuel Marsden’s daughter Mary during his sixth voyage to New Zealand in 1830, and is reputed to have originally belonged to Hongi Hika, a chief and warrior of the Ngāpuhi people. The mere was acquired thanks to fundraising support from the Museum Circle. The Museum Circle Foundation is an independent charitable trust that supports the Museum’s programmes, acquisitions and development.

The mere is of particular importance as it links two key Maori and Pakeha figures in New Zealand’s early contact history.

“We’re honoured to return these objects to Ngāpuhi for the festival. As a museum we are committed to sharing the collective stories of our past and helping to bring these stories to life in the community. The museum is home to numerous sacred taonga and it’s really important to us to help connect these with people,” says Chanel Clarke, Auckland Museum Curator Maori.

Ngapuhi General Manager Allen Wihongi says the homecoming of the taonga is particularly timely given the presence of the art exhibition Toi Ngapuhi at the festival.
“Toi Ngapuhi features the work of many of our local artists and the root of that artwork is with our past. They didn’t use the word back then but Hongi Hika was an artist and these taonga forge the link with our contemporary art.”

“These taonga are precious not because they’re historic objects but because of who they belonged to and the stories that surround them. Having these taonga with us is another way to keep those stories alive and not lose sight of them.”

“We’re all very excited about their arrival; it’s like a homecoming with these objects from Hongi Hika coming back to where he lived and to where the stories of these taonga began.”

Other taonga to be displayed at the festival include a wooden bust carved by Hongi Hika, a treasure box owned by Hongi Hika and a sterling silver cup.

The biannual Ngāpuhi festival celebrates the culture and pride of one of New Zealand’s largest iwi, and is presented by Te Runanga-A-Iwi-O-Ngapuhi. The event is expected to attract around 40,000 visitors over 28 and 29 January at Northland College.

The event will involve a weekend full of entertainment, art, competitions, seminars, shopping and plenty of kai. Organisers are expecting around 100 stalls.

For hi-res imagery or to arrange interviews please contact:

Melanie Cooper
Publicist, Auckland Museum
mcooper@aucklandmuseum.com
021 899 062

Allen Wihongi
General Manager – Iwi Development Leader, Ngapuhi
027 571 1306
allen.wihongi@ngapuhi.iwi.nz
09 401 5541

Background information:
Ngapuhi Festival is Northland''s biggest event. It is held every second year in Kaihohe at the Northland College and every other year in Auckland. 2012 is expected to bring up to 40,000 people to Kaikohe. The festival on January 28-29 is a two-day celebration of the iwi''s music, arts, kai and sports held at Northland College in Kaikohe. It first ran in 2004 with 7000 visitors, in 2010 they achieved over 30,000 and injected $4 million into the Northland economy according to Far District North Council. Ngapuhi is New Zealand''s largest iwi, most of whose 120,000 members live outside the Northland area.

Key activities and performances at the Ngapuhi Festival include:

• Main stage performers confirmed include Herbs, Ruia Aperahama, The Maori Volcanics, The Howard Morrison Jr Trio and Ria Hall.
• Toi Ngapuhi exhibition hall curated by the highly regarded Dargaville artist Colleen Urlich, will showcase the work of top Ngapuhi artists in painting, sculpture, glass, fashion, photography and ta moko.
• Ngapuhi taonga on loan from the Auckland Museum will be displayed, including a self-portrait of chief Hongi Hika and 180 year old greenstone mere.
• Reconstruction of a hakari atamira, a bamboo structure measuring 15m high and 12m long, traditionally built to display goods for a feast.
•  For more information about the festival visit http://ngapuhifestival.maori.nz/ .
  

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