International waka journeys

Toi Māori has used waka as vehicle for taking contemporary Māori arts to the world stage and surrounding our waka with its art forms.

City of London Festival 2011

Te Hono ki Aotearoa approaching the London Bridge

Toi Māori was invited to participate in the City of London Festival on the 1st July 2011 on the Thames River with funding support from the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. New Zealand was a ‘feature country’ within the City of London Festival and the waka was a main attraction to this festival.

The waka was crewed by multi skilled kaihoe (paddlers) selected from Ngā Waka Federation of Toi Māori. As well as teaching and operating the waka for this special occasion, Toi Māori also delivered workshops and presentations on Māori arts and culture at the City of London Festival.

Toi Māori was part of a wider delegation of New Zealand Arts Organisations which was represented at the City of London Festival as a ‘feature country’ during the month of July. Each organisation was leveraging off major events and cultural tourism promotions of New Zealand.

Handover ceremony to Volkenkunde Museum, Leiden, Holland 2010

Te Hono ki Aotearoa waka taua crewed by Toi Māori kaihoe (paddlers) during the waka handover ceremony in Leiden, Holland, 18 October 2010.

Photo courtesy of Museum Volkenkunde