8 Jul 2014

New York via Te Papa for flax artworks

7:53 am on 8 July 2014

Maori flax-woven lattice panel artwork destined for New York will be showcased at the national museum, Te Papa Tongarewa, in Wellington.

The Kāhui Rāranga The Art of Tukutuku: New Zealand's Heart at the United Nations exhibition is being launched on Tuesday morning in Wellington and runs until 2 November.

The tukutuku panels will later be installed at the entrance to the United Nation's General Assembly Hall in New York, as part off a wider refurbishment of UN headquarters.

The works have been created by talented weavers from across Aotearoa who are all members of Te Ropu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa - the National Collective of Maori Weavers in New Zealand.

Te Papa Acting chief executive and kaihautu Arapata Hakiwai said the art of tukutuku was highly valued among Maori and was an important taonga for all New Zealanders.

The exhibition is a joint partnership with Te Puni Kokiri and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.