Was there any Melanesian influence on Maori Art?

Te Ao Hou, July 1958, Page 34

Was there any Melanesian influence on Maori Art? If the centre was as suggested among a people which traditions persist in placing centuries before the fleet of 1350 and connecting with a non-Polynesian strain, should we eliminate the possibility of Western Pacific influence Buck strongly supports the theory of local development and is sceptical of the idea of any Melanesian influence; but in a recent letter telling me of a visit to a village in Fiji, where he had a glimpse of a house with similar forms and ornamentation, he is not quite sure, Elsewhere he has emphasised the conservatism of Maori art. The art of carving exemplified in the work of all schools does show a strong tendency to stick to certain features and conventions. But another strong characteristic of the Maori is copying—the art would not have been so greatly diffused over the Eastern area but for this. He copied a new thing, adopted its characteristic features, then transmitted them through the generations.