ART CENTRE AT GISBORNE.

Hokitika Guardian, 17 February 1930, Page 7

ART CENTRE AT GISBORNE.

FINE EXAMPLES OF CARVING Described as an artistic gem and calculated to preserve for future generations a. worthy'• example of Maori arts and crafts, the new culture centre at Kniti Pa is soon to It.* officially opened. It is expected that the ft notion will rival in importance the largest Maori gatherings which have taken place in New Zealand in recent times..

: The funds for the new works were provided by the Gisborne Harbour Board, which had to pry about £lO, 030 in compensation for land on which the pa formerly stood, adjacent to the new harbour basin, The purchase of the land, the levelling of the ground, and the erection of buildings on' the new site has been carried out by a committee of trustees, whose object lias been to make the new pa worthy of Maori traditions, the ideas of art and architecture.

The pa is situated within the Borough of . Gisborne, and the buildings have had to comply with the requirements of the municipal regulations in regard t" sizes of timbers, headroom, and other points, but these modifications of native architectural ideas have brought about no unsightly efforts, The meeting house is 103 ft, in length, and has a width of 40ft., a novel feature being the incorporation of foulrecesses in the walls, which oft'etr va«~ ther unusual scope for the Maori decorators. Carvings a»d other forms of native devolutions will be represented in their highest standards in the interior of the mpting house.The new pn will be valuable also as a meeting place for Maori people who visit the district, and it is looked to exercise a beneficial, influence in maintaining a high standard of cub ture for the Maori race.