Me Anga Whakamua – Facing The Future

Me Anga Whakamua – Facing the Future, a touring exhibition that explores the enduring impact of the first encounters between Māori and Europeans, opens at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata in Wellington on Thursday, 20 March 2025 and runs until Sunday 15 June 2025. The exhibition, developed by the Hihiaua Cultural Centre in Whangārei, brings together the powerful voices of tangata whenua and stunning portrait photography by Diane Stoppard, which captures Māori perspectives on the past and their hopes for the future, featuring emotive portraits alongside personal stories and aspirations.

Accompanying the exhibition is a book edited by Janet Hetaraka, which features the same striking portraits and the reflective voices of tangata whenua. This book is part of the Tuia 250 legacy, marking 250 years since the first encounters between Māori and Pākehā in 1769. Supported by Te Au Marie Trust and the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, the project was launched to inspire conversations about Aotearoa’s collective journey forward.

“The subjects of this exhibition express a diverse range of Māori voices reflecting on the past with their own hopes for a united future. These voices resound even louder today as our identity as a nation is being debated,” said Janet.

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Jaenine Parkinson, Director of the New Zealand Portrait Gallery, says, “This exhibition is not just a chance to view exceptional art, but an invitation to engage with the personal histories and collective aspirations of tangata whenua. It offers a space to reflect on the past, acknowledge its complexities, and chart a hopeful, shared future for all New Zealanders.”

Distinguished Professor Dame Anne Salmond, in her endorsement of the book, describes it as a collection of “eloquent portraits and moving testimonies” that look back on the first encounters in Tai Tokerau and chart a hopeful course toward a shared future “under the cloak of peace.” She calls it “a marvellous koha from a lineage of visionaries” and an inspiration for all New Zealanders to come together with aroha for future generations.

For more information about the exhibition, book launch, and related events, please visit the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata https://www.nzportraitgallery.org.nz/

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