Whakaaturaka
Exhibitions
Taiopeka
Events
E Whakaaturia ana Ināianei
On display
Sāmoan 'Ava Ceremony
Tangata Moana
Special Event
Past event
Foyer
Free
Join us as we bring together our Sāmoan and Pacific communities for our inaugural ‘Ava ceremony – a uniting ritual in celebration of Pacific Arts in Ōtautahi.
The ‘Ava ceremony is a very important Sāmoan ritual that establishes a sacred space between hosts and visitors. This ceremony cements our relationship with the Sāmoan community and their Pacific artists.
Then at 12.30 please join Fonomaaitu Fuimaono in the Philip Carter Auditorium for a presentation on the 'Ava Ceremony - its place in Sāmoan culture and its practice.
Tagata Moana Trust
Related reading: Family event, special event, Pasifika, Free event
Exhibition
Made in the Pacific: A Collection of Tāoga
28 March – 11 October 2026
A selection of Pacific tāoga from the Canterbury Museum in conversation with contemporary artworks that highlight the continued strength in culture and traditional art forms.
Commentary
Awhitu Wānanga
Made in the Pacific: A Collection of Tāoga celebrates Pacific tāoga, bringing together examples made by moana ancestors with new work by their distant mokopuna.
The museum treasures in this exhibition are by makers who gained their knowledge from elders and specialists in their communities. Their work contains precious cultural histories within both the materials and visual language.
Notes
Christchurch Art Gallery Foundation's Fifth Annual Gala Dinner
London's hottest chefs are coming to town – and you're invited to dinner!
Commentary
Clocking Off
For most people, migration is a semi-abstract concept. It’s the fall guy for social issues, the topic of choice for political pundits. For me, it was something I romanticised. Although both of my parents were born in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland I always thought of myself as the child of migrants, as all four of my grandparents were born outside of Aotearoa New Zealand and immigrated here for various reasons at various times. However, it wasn’t until I became a migrant worker myself, after accepting a job in the United States and navigating immigration firsthand, that I realised how difficult moving countries was.
Commentary
A Perspective on Pacific Art in Christchurch
Pacific art is one of the more internationally successful and innovative sectors of New Zealand’s art industry, but Pacific artists in Ōtautahi have struggled to be a visible part of the city’s cultural landscape. Due to our small population and distance from the Pacific art capital that is Auckland, our artists have often developed in relative isolation, relying on our Pasifika arts community to maintain a sense of cultural vitality, belonging and place within the city.
