Tales from Te Papa - Art of the Haka

Ngāti Toa's 'Ka Mate' haka has inspired artwork as well as All Black fans. In this mini-documentary, presenter Riria Hotere talks to curator Megan Tamati-Quennell about Paratene Matchitt's Whiti te ra. The abstract painting was also inspired by Te Rauparaha's famous cry. Matchitt is an important Māori modernist artist, whose contemporaries included Ralph Hotere and Selwyn Muru. Also mentioned is Matchitt's City to Sea bridge, a sculptured walkway over Jervois Quay in Wellington which references sea creatures and Ngake and Whātaitai, two taniwha at the heart of the region's creation story.

What I liked was the chunky, rough-hewn weathered nature of the bird forms (which look, appropriately, like seagulls), fitting in so well with the whole bridge – which in retrospect is not surprising since the bridge itself is the sculpture. The timber apparently was new when it was built, but has weathered since then to a lovely greyish tone.

– Artist Jules Tern on Paratene Matchitt's City to Sea Bridge sculpture in Wellington, on her website

Key Cast & Crew

Riria Hotere

Presenter

Thomas Robins

Director