New Zealand’s national indigenous broadcaster, Māori Television, will gift a five-metre long carved artwork to the Waitangi National Trust at a special ceremony at the Treaty Grounds on Friday April 18.

Māori artist Blaine Te Rito and British woodcarver Mike Davies – both acknowledged experts in their fields – collaborated on the carved artwork on the billboard site of Māori Television’s Auckland headquarters in the lead-up to its Waitangi Day programming on February 6 this year. With the caption – ‘For everyone, from us, on Waitangi Day’ – its connection with the all-embracing nature of the Treaty Grounds is evident, says Trust Chief Executive Jeanette Richardson.

Auckland-based Te Rito (Kahungunu, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Waiora) specialises in the carving of native wood as well as other mediums such as bone, ivory and pounamu. He is a licensed user of Toi Iho – the registered trademark denoting authenticity and quality in Māori arts – and creates commissioned artwork as well as pieces for local and international exhibitions.

Davies is an accomplished British woodcarver, teacher and author now living in Auckland. He trained in the United Kingdom – specialising in the restoration of carved antiques – and has undertaken a multitude of commissions for the British National Trust, royalty and private collectors. He is a regular columnist for international trade magazines, has published books on the subject of woodcarving, and has his own instructional carving video.

The carving was displayed by Māori Television at the inaugural World Indigenous Television Broadcasting Conference in Auckland at the end of March.  Ms Richardson says that, in the long term, the gift will probably be displayed in the setting of the Treaty Grounds’ planned new visitor centre.

“Māori Television has already made a great contribution to the nation’s understanding of the positive feelings that drive Waitangi Day ceremonies at the Treaty Grounds, through their extended television coverage. This is a most appreciated symbol of their strong relationship with the Waitangi National Trust.”