Nga mihi

Already we are into September and 2019 seems to be passing by very quickly. As you are reading this column, our President, Elizabeth Kay, and 21 other intrepid travellers are experiencing the wonder and majesty of our first overseas tour – to Egypt, home of the pyramids and amazing ruins of ancient temples. A second tour will commence a few days after this first one. We are eagerly looking forward to hearing of their experiences.

September is looking to be an exciting and busy one for the Friends, and we do look forward to seeing you all at one or even more of our upcoming events. First up on 4 September was a Curator Talk by Leon Perrie, Curator Botany and lead science curator for Te Taiao, being held in Te Taiao Nature. There we learnt about the Endemic Wall, one of the highlights of the new exhibition. Next time you visit Te Papa, have at look at this wall where over 600 species of animals, plants and fungi are displayed. It is quite extraordinary.

Piera McArthur is one of New Zealand’s foremost contemporary artists and we have been fortunate to have been able to organise a tour to her studio in mid-September. Unfortunately this has already been booked out, but another visit in the new year could be arranged if there is sufficient interest. Contact the office indicating your interest and to be added to the waiting list.

A lecture from a member of the Friends, William Cottrell, on 18 September will introduce us to A Century of Colonial-Made Furniture – this promises to be a fascinating glimpse of the type of furniture which some of our early settlers brought to New Zealand with them. About seventy pieces of furniture are held by Te Papa.

And then we move on to what will definitely be a ‘must’ – a lecture by Anna Whitehead, National Library Collection Care Leader and Lara Shepherd, Te Papa evolutionary Biologist who will share with us the new research recently undertaken on the Treaty of Waitangi document. DNA research reveals more facts about the actual parchment on which the Treaty was written. This is being held on 21 September.

And finally, especially for those who missed out on our Textile talk in August by Joji Jason and Shani Pillai, we have managed to organise a series of 3 talks on Indian Textiles entitled Indigo, Sari and Fusion. These will be held on 26, 28 and 29 September and will again be presented by Joji Jacob and Shane Pillai, both members of the Friends.

October is already looking to be another month of exciting events and visits, so keep your eyes open for our monthly eNewsletters and we look forward to seeing you at an upcoming event.

Nāku noa, nā
Jillian Wellings