MEDIA RELEASE
To: Chief Reporter/Arts-Maori Affairs Reporters
Date: 8 November 2001
No of pages: 1
Te Waka Toi grants support new talent
Te Waka Toi, the Mäori arts board of Creative New Zealand, has eagerly supported a rising artistic talent in its latest
funding round.
Te Waka Toi Chair Elizabeth Ellis said Auckland-based artist Dion Hitchens (Ngai Tuhoe/Ngati Porou) was set to become a
leading force in the creative arena
“His installations are very exciting, innovative and push the boundaries of contemporary Mäori art. He combines
technology and natural materials to make life-sized kinetic forms that engage the viewer in new experiences,” she said.
Hitchens’ new work, a suspended bird-like form made of stainless steel, was the only project funded under Te Waka Toi’s
New Works funding programme. It depicts how Mäori whakapapa to the environment.
Some of the Auckland artist’s work features in Purangiaho Seeing Clearly, an exhibition of contemporary Mäori artists
currently showing at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki.
Te Waka Toi received 104 funding requests seeking more than $4 million for a range of projects. It funded 42 projects to
a total of $563, 674.
Ends
Inquiries to Reuben Wharawhara, Communications Adviser:
Ph (04) 498 0727
NOTE: A comprehensive list of projects funded by Creative New Zealand can be found on its website at
www.creativenz.govt.nz/funding/grants