Te Papa’s Blog

Tramping in New Zealand forests can be an enjoyable and very relaxing activity. However, if your legs are hairy, it could be a painful and very annoying experience. Camouflaged among ferns and ground orchids, hook grasses are waiting, ready to clasp to the hairs or clothing of any unwary tramper.

Hook grasses get their name from a hook-like structure which arises from the base of the ovary of each female flower.

Detail of a receptive female flower of Uncinia zotovii indicating hook and stigmas. Photo by C.A. Lehnebach (c) Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

This structure allows dispersal of the achene, a single seed produced by each female flower, to other sites by clasping to the hairs, or feathers, of any animal (or hairy tramper) passing by.

Seed (achene) of a native hook sedge. Photo by C.A. Lehnebach (c) Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

Flowers in Uncinia are unisexual, that is male and female reproductive structures are on separate flowers. In Uncinia, female flowers are at the base of the spike while male flowers are at the top.

Mature spike of Uncinia caespitosa indicating female and male sections. Photo by C.A. Lehnebach (c) Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

Only female flowers have a hook. Male flowers are small and have three stamens, which quickly fall off after the pollen is released.

Male flowers of Uncinia and detail of stamens. Photo by C.A. Lehnebach (c) Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

New Zealand is the diversity hotspot for Uncinia, however, little is known about their ecology and the actual number of species is still uncertain. Some species are so variable that it is possible they may consist of two or more species.

As part of my work in Te Papa I have investigated a group of morphologically variable Uncinia. The main goals of my study were to understand the cause(s) of this variability and to produce revised descriptions for these species to make their identification easier.

I’m just back from the John Child Bryophyte Workshop for 2009, which I helped organise (along with Massey University’s Lara Shepherd and Jill Rapson).

The silver-tipped Campylopus introflexus is one of my favourite mosses. Photo by Leon Perrie, Curator. (c) Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

The Bryophyte Workshop studies mosses, liverworts, and hornworts, as well as lichens. Although often overlooked because of their small size, these plants are significant biodiversity and biomass components of many habitats.

The 35 participants encompassed beginners to experts, amateurs to professionals, and came from all over New Zealand (plus Australia).

Group photo for the 24th (2009) John Child Bryophyte Workshop. Photo by Terry Evans & Ross Beever. (c) Terry Evans, Auckland.

We were based this year in the Hawke’s Bay at Waipukurau, with the excellent venue of Pukeora Estate.

We collected samples from several nearby sites (with a permit from the Department of Conservation).

Barbara Polly, Te Papa Research Associate, inspecting the lichens on a tree trunk. Photo by Leon Perrie, Curator. (c) Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

Peter Beveridge, Te Papa Research Associate, using a hand-lens to examine a moss sample. Photo by Leon Perrie, Curator. (c) Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

This rock was thoroughly inspected. Photo by Terry Evans. (c) Terry Evans, Auckland.

Bryologists often move at a notoriously slow pace. However, these ones made it beyond Sunrise Hut (a climb of about 700m!). Photo by Antony Kusabs. (c) Antony Kusabs, Upper Hutt.

The lion-decorated 4WD used by the horticulturalists from Auckland Zoo added colour to our vehicle convoy. Photo by Leon Perrie, Curator. (c) Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

Once we had finished in the field, we returned to ‘base’ for a closer examination of the collected specimens. Many of these small plants cannot be identified precisely without the aid of a microscope. 

Identifying the day's collections with the aid of microscopes and books. Photo by Leon Perrie, Curator. (c) Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

One of Te Papa’s photographers Norman Heke is usually behind the camera. He’s been at many hui and wānanga, studiously taking photos to put together a wonderful photographic record of these events.

This time Norm was able to take part in the taonga pūoro wānanga and learned how to make and play a pūkāea. A mystery photographer captured the moment…

Norman Heke working on his pukaea - and taking a break from being the photographer. Copyright Te Papa

With a little persuasion however we managed to get Norm to take some photos of the wānanga as well. Here is a small selection capturing some of the magical moments.

Hau Manu members (left to right): Warren Warbrick, James Webster, Brian Flintoff, Richard Nunns, Alistair Fraser and Horomona Horo in front of Te Heke-Mai-Raro. Copyright Te Papa

Wananga members in front of Te Heke-Mai-Raro. copyright Te Papa

Richard Nunns introducing the group to taonga puoro. Copyright Te Papa

Warren Warbrick, Brian Flintoff and Jo Pleydell working on a pukaea. Copyright Te Papa

Brian Flintoff carving a koauau. Copyright Te Papa

Earlier this week Hongoeka marae in Plimmerton was filled with the sounds of taonga pūoro (Maori musical instruments) – accompanied by the buzzing of  sanders and the call of tuis flitting among the flaxes.

Hongoeka marae, Plimmerton. Copyright Florence Liger

I was one of twenty Te Papa staff who took part in a three day wānanga on taonga pūoro, tutored by members of Hau Manu – Richard Nunns, Brian Flintoff, Horomona Horo, James Webster and Warren Warbrick, with the assistance of Alistair Fraser and Henare Walmsley. Several staff  from museums in the Wellington area joined us for the wānanga.

Dr Richard Nunns sharing his knowledge of taonga puoro. Copyright Florence Liger

The marae at Hongoeka was a great setting for our learning to take place and we were warmly welcomed and looked after by the people of the marae.  A beautiful  sunset at the close of day one and the visit of several whai (sting rays)  into the bay were signs that this was going to be a special time.

On the first evening we were introduced to the history of  the wharenui Te Heke-Mai-Raro and the stories behind it. The design of the kowhaiwhai and tukutuku patterns in this house relate to whakatauki – expressing concepts such as whanaungatanga, turangawaewae and wairuatanga. We then listened as Richard Nunns introduced us to the family of taonga pūoro instruments.

The next day we divided into groups to spend time with each tutor. Richard shared his incredible knowledge of the different instruments and helped us as we started to learn how to play them. With each telling you get to hear new anecdotes and stories from Richard – he drops in fresh morsels of info and kōrero.

Brian Flintoff patiently lead us through making nguru, kōauau, pūtōrino and porotiti. For a year now I’ve had one of Brian’s pūtōrino. It’s been sanded and burnished for some time and I’ve been trying to find its voice. They say you have to perserve with taonga pūoro, and just a few months ago, I did find it’s voice. With Brian’s help at this wananga my pūtōrino now has its final carvings and bindings.

Brian Flintoff working with us on our taonga puoro. Copyright Florence Liger

James Webster helped us make and then play our porotiti and purerehua, skilfully and very generously decorating our instruments with wonderful designs.

James Webster. Copyright Florence Liger

Horomona Horo challenged each group to compose a piece – to write our words and then add in the taonga pūoro. At first this seemed like an impossible thing to do – but inspiration came from the experiences of the day and our composition slowly took shape.

Horomona Horo. Copyright Florence Liger

Meanwhile a small group of staff were taken through the process of making a pūkāea by Warren Warbrick. 

Warren Warbrick shaping a pukaea. Copyright Florence Liger

Cutting the timber, shaping out the insides and then crafting  the final shape of these large trumpet-like instruments was a huge task – several people worked very hard, late into the night to get their pūkāea finished.

Awhina Tamarapa working on her pukaea. Copyright Florence Liger

At the end of the second day everyone  joined together for the Pō Whakangahau, or evening concert. Using our new skills and knowledge we worked together to play our new instruments and make music. The magic and power of these taonga pūoro shone through – you could feel the warmth, the energy and the emotions. I was reminded of the power that music has to join people together and to touch you.

This wānanga was a very special time. As Te Papa staff we were privileged to learn from our Hau Manu tutors. For me, and for others, it was a rich, moving, and restorative experience – it felt good to be filled up like this and to have your batteries recharged.

Now our challenge is to work together and carry on our journey with taonga pūoro to bring their voices into our work at Te Papa.

Fans of art and TV on demand may already know about the great series New Artland hosted by musician Chris Knox on freeview TVNZ 7, and available online.

The programme invites artists to make a new work involving a community. Series two has recently been uploaded, and they are already up to Episode 7. If you haven’t seen it yet then you’ve got some great catching up to to do via the internet.

Seung Yul Oh, Oddooki, Te Papa Sculpture Terrace, Level 6.

Episode 6 which screened on 3 October featured artist Seung Yul Oh. Seung recently created a project for the Te Papa Level 6 Sculpture Terrace called Oddooki.

Seung’s Oddooki project was on the Outer Terrace until early June of this year. You may have missed it, but if you did you can see a snippet of the work in the New Artland programme.

For the first programme of its first series New Artland made a programme with Ronnie van Hout.

Te Papa has a number of work of Ronnie’s in the collection and also a current Sculpture Terrace project by Ronnie called A Loss, Again.

Ronnie van Hout, A Loss, Again, Te Papa Sculpture Terrace, Level 6

A Loss, Again will be on show until mid 2010 so there’s plenty of time to see the work on your next visit.

On 28 November we will be opening a new project on the outer Terrace. The project by Paul Cullen is called A Garden. Here’s an image of the artist’s model as a bit of a teaser.

Paul Cullen, artist's model for A Garden

In the meantime there are lots of great New Artland programmes to watch including Lisa Reihana’s one which is about her work
Mai i te aroha, ko te aroha also currently on show here at Te Papa in the Te Ara a Hine space, Level 2.

Lisa Reihana, Mai i te aroha, ko te aroha, Te Ara a Hine, Te Papa, Level 2

Many of the artists who created projects for New Artland are also in the Te Papa collection, you can search under their names through our Collections Online.

Happy viewing and searching!

Last week on NZ On Screen we celebrated our unique natural heritage with the launch of a Nature collection. Aotearoa’s landforms and its magnificent menagerie of natural oddities – birds, insects, and trees like nowhere else on the planet – are showcased in 15 award-winning NHNZ productions – all full length and free to view. From Discovery Channel and David Bellamy documentaries, to Wild South and Our World classics.

The Nature Collection has been curated for NZ On Screen by long-time presenter of TV nature programmes Peter Hayden – who now works behind-the-scenes at internationally renowned NHNZ  (Natural History New Zealand). Peter has written a great background piece giving his personal perspective on over 30 years of bringing NZ nature to screen, and what motivates him:

“A parrot that can’t fly, lives in the dark and blows itself up like a football? What about a hairy dwarf, a killer parrot, a reptile with a third eye and giant meat-eating snails? New Zealand is a land of evolutionary oddballs, and that’s why I love it, and have been so privileged to have been part of a team that has turned these often shy creatures into stars of the small screen.”

I’m something of a ngā manu nut myself: regularly dragging my two year old daughter through pockets of remnant bush and to Zealandia most weeks to hang with kaka and tuatara. Growing up as a kid in the 80s, series like Our World and Wild South were formative in my personal connection to Aotearoa’s birds’n’bush. The iconic stories of the black robin and kōkako, were exciting and intriguing and inspired me to “go bush” and get amongst efforts to help out our feathered ark-mates.

So, it’s been a real pleasure to work with Peter in compiling and preparing the collection. And NHNZ deserve a special acknowledgement for their generosity in sharing these titles.

Black robin

Many of them are Kiwi classics and have been rarely seen since they screened. My personal favourite is one of the first Wild South documentaries, Seven Black Robins. By 1976 there were only seven Chatham Islands’ black robins left. It was the world’s rarest bird. In this documentary, in a desperate bid to save the species, the wee birds are taken from one island to another in a cliff-top rescue mission. There’s Old Blue (just Blue here) and other characters and with the stakes so high the drama is evident; so is the passion of the people – such as conservation hero Don Merton – striving to save them.

Kaka (bush parrot) cavorting in the rain beside Lake Rotoiti in Bandits of the Beech Forest are gloriously filmed, but there is remarkable footage contained throughout the collection, from a bat-filled tree trunk sauna, carnivorous giant snails, lost whale, and Happy Feet penguins, to the otherworldy depths of fiords and horror movie-like footage of a kea eating a live sheep at night!

The collection features the series Moa’s Ark (presented by David “old man’s beard must go” Bellamy), the Hayden-presented series Journeys in National Parks and Journeys across Latitude 45 (Screened as part of Our World); along with popular children’s nature series Wildtrack.

The one-off docos are Wild South classics: Seven Black Robins and The Black Stilt, and acclaimed films: Kea Mountain Parrot, Under the Ice, Bandits of the Beech Forest, Emperors of Antarctica, Lost Whales, Mirror World, Ghosts of Gondwana, and Exhuming Adams.

Overall the collection leaves one feeling inspired and in awe of our unique natural heritage. It reaffirms the committed efforts of projects like Zealandia (Karori Sanctuary) that mean you can go for a run in the scrub above Brooklyn – 10 minutes from Wellington city – and encounter tieke (saddleback). Courtesy of Karori (and council pest control efforts) we also have kaka screeching above our Newtown house and can see an ecstasy of tui (yes, the correct term for a flock of tui is an ‘ecstasy’!) flouncing around Cuba St. Sweet as manuka honey!

But many of the films are also tragedies, pervaded with sadness. They’re a lament for a birdland that is now lost forever. As Peter says:

“The nature of this land of ours, astounds me. Many species are survivors of ice ages, near-drowning, eruptions and earthquakes. But can they survive us.”

Watch and decide where you stand!

http://www.nzonscreen.com/collection/nature

Paul Ward
Editor, NZ On Screen

NZ On Screen is the NZ On Air-funded website set up last year to archive and showcase New Zealand television and film. It won Best Entertainment Website at the 2009 Qantas Media Awards. You can see the Nature Collection, and over 700 other titles, free of charge at www.nzonscreen.com

It’s been really heartening to see how NZ has dug deep to aid Samoa after the recent tsunami.  TVNZ’s Good Morning programme broadcast live from Te Papa and other main centres on Wednesday to support the Red Cross’s appeal.  In total, they raised $165,000 in just three hours!

Online giving website Givealittle has received over $100,000 in donations for the Red Cross as well and, earlier in the week, Givealittle approached Te Papa to see if we could help out with a innovative fundraising idea.

Donors to the appeal are given the option of leaving a comment and the crew at Givealittle approached artist Otis Frizzell to incorporate these messages of support into a special artwork to be gifted to the people of Samoa.  Limited editions of the work will also be made available with the monies raised going to the Red Cross.

Otis Frizzell

Otis will be in Te Papa’s Wellington Foyer on Level 2 working on this very special artwork from Monday 12 to Friday 16 October so come along, have a chat to Otis and see art in progress!  If you can’t make it in to Te Papa, check out our flickr site for progress pics!

View of the TRS showcar on Level 2, from Level 4. © Te Papa, 2009.

The Te Papa events are rockin! There are so many people are having a blast – seeing the F1 cars up in the exhibition on Level 4, checking out the big Toyota Racing Series transporter truck parked out front, marvelling at the curious 2-seater (there aint that many 2-seaters around the world I can tell ya) and getting to actually sit in the TRS showcar and get your pic taken (gotta have proof you did it, eh!) once you’ve shown staff your ticket to the exhibition.

These are the current times we are working to with regards to being able to sit in the showcar and get your pic taken:
11.00-11.30
12.00-12.30
1.30-2.00
2.30-3.00
4.00-4.30
The times are a bit of a moveable feast but they’re what we’re aiming to – this is so we can be more positively reactive to changes in visitor interest and numbers as well as making sure the amazing people working in these areas get well-deserved breaks

You can collect your free photo in the following hour after you get it taken in the first place from the HP Photocentre near the showcar on Level 2.

Anyone who can fit in it can get in it! © Te Papa, 2009.