From RNZ "Mana News" 6.40 am

Presenter (Dale Husband): This morning we look at an exhibition "Kiwa - Pacific Connections", in Vancouver aimed to open the door for Maori artists to the Canadian and United States art market. From RNZ "Mana News" 6.40 am

Presenter (Dale Husband): This morning we look at an exhibition "Kiwa - Pacific Connections", in Vancouver aimed to open the door for Maori artists to the Canadian and United States art market.The display, called "Kiwa - Pacific Connections", features 24 of New Zealand's top Maori artists, most of whom will be at the opening next week. Here's Carol Archie with that story.

Reporter (Carol Archie): The Kiwa Exhibition is described the Sturt-Westler Gallery in Vancouver as a monumental event. Apart from Te Maori there's been nothing like it before in North America and this time all the works are for sale. The opportunity was opened up by a visit to Canada four years ago by artists Roy Toya and June Grant, who with the help of TradeNZ and Poutama Trust set up a stall at a trade conference. June says it showcased a group of Maori artists.

June Grant (Artist): Our art is South Pacific Maori art and you have to reference that and if people don't know what the art is and who you are, that's the hardest part. It's sort of why would they be interested in arts they didn't know the source or the reference to it. So everywhere where we take our art we try and reference that by attending and showing them who we are, a little bit of our culture and that we have a very strong culture of course and people are always interested.

Reporter: So how did you come across this particular gallery that's going to be exhibiting?

Grant: Well, Trade New Zealand set us up with a series of appointments with galleries who may be interested because you understand that the Canadian people have a huge - a wonderful first nations history of their own and the North West Coast Pacific Art is huge and wonderful and of course we go in very cautiously to other tribal areas because it's their art and to even get in a gallery that would be interested in what we do, South Pacific art, Maori art in particular, was you know an experience really because a lot of people would just say, no we're not really interested, or would look at us; who are you people? But there was one gallery that Roy went along with his beautiful carving and he was intrigued by that and intrigued by Roy and that's where it started and it was Nigel Reading from the Sturt-Westler gallery who decided that he would look more closely at Maori art.

Reporter: So what's emerged is something quite big isn't it?

Grant: It has really. It has. Well it will be wonderful. I mean the last big offshore event happened when Te Maori went overseas and showed our art to the world. Nothing really much has happened from that. So it's trying to just continually engage other gallery directors with the work that we do and we can stand alongside many of those great cultural arts of the world and they have recognised that.

Reporter: I guess it could potentially bring in a lot of dollars for Maori artists?

Grant: Well, that's what everybody is hoping to. This is really good foreign exchange for our country if it does and I mean it's good money for the artists as well, because our art is seen to be a valuable art in that we are valued because if you put art within a context of being craft art and people give a whole different connotation to that, so there's a lower value on your art, but I can see that from what I've experienced as being involved in Maori art for a number of years that our art forms are purely beautiful and yes they are up there alongside all the great cultures of the world and so this is the opportunity to see if it's going to work.

Reporter: One of the artists leading the group is Darcy Nicholas, one of the few who already sell work extensively on the international market.

Darcy Nicholas (Artist):We haven't really had major exhibitions in Canada and that's the interesting thing, because a lot of the Canadian first nations people have strong similarities to people of the Pacific, because a lot of the origins of course are from the Pacific, particularly the West Coast of Canada. So we've had a lot of personal dialogue with them, but we've never really tried to sell our art up in the Canadian region.

Reporter: Who are your target customers here?

Nicholas: Both people who are interested in the evolution of indigenous races from the Pacific, as well as a lot of Americans and one of the things that Americans in particular are looking for, is the wholeness, or the spirituality that is lacking in a lot of American art. A lot of it's become very intellectual and removed from the human sort of spirit.

Reporter: What are Maori offering to satisfy that demand?

Nicholas: I think Maori bring in a new perspective. They bring in a perspective that is unknown and it's also old world and it's got a lot to do with the way Maori culture developed and evolved in the South Pacific here in isolation from a lot of other communities and nations.

Reporter: And what sort of range of pieces are there?

Nicholas: There's everything from traditional style carving, right through to contemporary style weaving and painting and sculpture and you know works by Saffron Ratena, which although they have a Maori concept to them, the style of expression is extremely contemporary and international. You know the real tradition of Maori culture and Maori belief is one that has a very, very close tie with the natural world, with the mountains and the trees and the seas and the birds and natural phenomena and you'll find this amongst some of the Canadian Indians, but at the same time there's a lot of our people have become urbanised and christianised and removed from a lot of the things that we knew to be Maori and there's nothing wrong with that, that just happens to be the way the world is.

Reporter: I presume that if everything is sold, quite a lot of money would be made; is that right?

Nicholas: That's one of the objectives is that we look at the commercial side of Maori Art and how it can probably sweep its way across Canada and the United States. So there are a lot of people coming up from both America and also across from Canada. There's something like about 500 people want to come to the Saturday night function and they're trying to keep the numbers down and a lot of those are buyers.

Reporter: So a lot could be sold just on the first night?

Nicholas: I suspect a considerable amount will be sold particularly the carving. It's exciting times for Maori and we just have to make sure that this is part of the long-term strategy and not a one-off. So we're already planning the next wave of things. It's a weaving exhibition that tours over the United States and Canada in the latter part of 2004.

Reporter: The Chair of Toi Maori, Moana Davis, says the Kiwa Exhibition will stretch boundaries and open up new opportunities.

Moana Davis (Chair of Toi Maori): I am delighted with the quality of the catalogue that has been produced. I feel that people of New Zealand can be very proud of the quality of artists and also that there are a number of artists whose works haven't been chosen, who are as exciting as those that we are taking. So, I believe that this will be a forerunner, which I hope others will be able to follow. So part of the exercise no doubt is to stretch the boundaries, to look for new opportunities that Toi Maori can assist in placing our artists on that world platform and I really wish them good luck.

Reporter: Moana Davis ending that story from Carol Archie.