Te Hono Wai – Where waters meet – Jo Torr

Five of the artworks highlight the experiences of Tuai and Tītere, two young Māori chiefs who travelled to England in 1818. These works draw attention to the way Māori travelled the world prior to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi seeking new knowledge, useful goods and technologies, while simultaneously sharing their own knowledge to assist in the formulation of a Māori/English grammar. It was thought both Maori and English peoples would benefit from the exchange.

Tuai and Tītere were sponsored by Rev. Samuel Marsden to travel to England where they were hosted by members of the Church Missionary Society. Their visit was documented through portraits, by letters the pair sent home and from contemporary European eyewitness accounts, both before and after the visit.

Samual Marsden was also instrumental in bringing missionaries to the Bay of Islands in 1814. The sixth work responds to an incident where textiles played an important part in cultural transactions.