Ngā Hau Ngākau (Breath of Mine) weaves together stunning paintings, intricately carved taonga puoro (traditional Māori musical instruments) and beautiful music to honour the many stories of Te Ao Māori (the Māori world).
Painter Robin Slow, master carver Brian Flintoff and musician Bob Bickerton have created a unique space that is evocative of a whare whakairo (carved meeting house) and dedicated to manu (birds), which are treasured in Māori mythology as messengers that connect the physical and the spiritual realms.
The exhibition acknowledges birds as Atua Tāngata Whenua, the original ancestors of these islands, and honours their ancient whakapapa (genealogy). The wharenui (meeting house) is a place of learning, a place where the stories of ngā manu can be seen and heard, a place to rest, to explore, to reflect and to experience through quiet contemplation.