Maori artefacts display too big to stage?

Press, 17 June 1983, Page 5

Maori artefacts display too big to stage?

Christchurch may not have the facilities to house a major exhibition of Maori artefacts on its return from a tour of the United States early next year, the Canterbury Museum Trust Board was told yesterday. The collection will be made up of artefacts from 13 New Zealand museums, including a substantial amount from the Canterbury Museum. The Ngai-Tahu people asked that the exhibition tour New Zealand on its return from the United States.

“It is doubtful if there is any place in the South Island that has either sufficient space or the necessary climate control for its display,” the museum’s director, Mr M. M. Trotter, told the board yesterday. The only possible venue that he could think of was the Robert McDougall Art Gallery, but this would mean clearing out all other exhibition material and turning it over solely to the Maori collection.

This suggestion might not find favour with the director and staff of the gallery, said Mr Trotter.

The United States tour of the Maori collection received support in principle from the board, and the Art Galleries and Museums’ Association proKd that an “exhibition i” of museum experts

be set up to assist and advise the organisers. “A number of problems remain to be solved before the exhibition can actually get under way, but we can now rest assured that the artefacts will be treated with the best possible care,” said Mr Trotter. Outside projects The board expressed concern about the amount of money and time being spent on projects outside the museum for other organisations. Mr Trotter said that $lO,OOO worth of labour and materials had been put into the restoration of Deans Cottage, at Riccarton Bush. While the administrators of Riccarton Bush had received a $3OOO donation, not all of that money would come back to the museum, as security measures were needed at the cottage. If done by commercial contractors, the job would have cost $20,000, said Mr Trotter. Work was not expected to be completed before 1985. The person in charge of the restorations had enough work within the museum to keep him employed fulltime, but he spent much of his time on outside projects, said Mr Trotter. Kaikoura site The historic Fyffe site Vin Kaikoura is still intact and

no houses have yet been built on it, so the excavation work can continue, according to Mr Trotter. He said he would approach major businesses in Marlborough and Canterbury to ask for donations to continue the archaeological work being done on the site, believed to be one of the earliest in New Zealand. Totara sold? The National marae has approached Mr Trotter with an offer of $lOOO for totara wood to be used for carving. Mr Trotter said the wood was deteriorating and some members could not see the point of leaving it to rot for the sake of having totara, when the carving seemed an appropriate use for it. The board’s chairman, Sir Hamish Hay, said that there was no great urgency for a decision, and perhaps the board could meet the marae’s elders to discuss the matter. Bequest The board has received notice of a bequest from Mrs Margaret Gow, who was a member of the Canterbury Pilgrims and Early Settiers’ Association. The bequest, of more than $32,000, would be put in a special fund for colonial and general collections.