The Te Maori Exhibition: An Examination of its Organisation and Impacts as Seen by Those Who Developed the Exhibition

Abstract

The Te Maori exhibition toured the United States from 1984-1986, and then toured New Zealand until 1987. The effects of the exhibition were wide-reaching, and can still be felt now, some fifteen years after the its completion. This thesis examines how and why this exhibition was conceived and to provide an in-depth account of the way the exhibition was organised. It then assesses the impacts of the exhibition, drawing on evidence provided by the seven individuals who were intimately involved with its organisation or its surrounding events. It is argued that Te Maori was a turning point in the way that taonga Maori were stored, exhibited and interpreted by museums both in New Zealand and in the United States and that it contributed significantly to improving the profile and positive perception of Maori culture both by Maori and other New Zealanders.