Te Māori - A Celebration of the People and their Art

After kicking off with 'Poi-E' and the opening of landmark exhibition Te Māori in New York, this documentary sets out to summarise the key elements of Māori culture and history in a single hour. Narrator Don Selwyn ranges across past and (mid 80s) present: from early Māori settlement and moa-hunting, to the role of carvings in "telling countless stories". There are visits to Rotorua's Māori Arts and Crafts Institute and a Sonny Waru-led course aimed at getting youth in touch with their Māoritanga. The interviews include the late Napi Waaka and Sir James Hēnare. 

A face frozen in wood, protected now by museum walls, looks down on a changing culture in a changing world.

– Narrator Don Selwyn

Key Cast & Crew

Don Selwyn

Narrator

Thomas Horton

Producer, Writer

Ann Horton

Director, Editor, Associate Producer

Napi Waaka

Subject

Sonny Waru

Subject

Doug Eckhoff

Executive Producer