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A new fund to train Maori in the skills required for the care and display of taonga Maori was launched at Te Papa in Wellington this morning.
Te Maori Manaaki Taonga Trust spokesperson Piri Sciascia says the initiative is inspired by the Te Maori Exhibition, which toured the United States of America from 1984 to1987 and helped change public attitudes towards taonga Maori both in Aotearoa and throughout the world.
He says it inspired a new generation of artists, curators and educators, but the trust deed needed to be altered to accomodate requests for support in other areas.
"In recent years we've been asked to support a wider range of activities particularly those relatiing to Te Maori. We have been unable to do that because our trust purpose and the money in which you are able to spend rightfully was limited. So we have expanded the purposes of the trust to allow us to do more and other exciting things" he says.
Te Maori Manaaki Taonga has been developed with input from both the Minister for Culture and Heritage and the Minister for Maori Development, and is funded from the profits of Te Maori.
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