The Tauranga Art Gallery's new director, Karl Chitham, has been officially welcomed into the position during a formal ceremony held on Monday.
Karl was welcomed by local kaumatua Tamati Tata and Charlie Tawhiao on behalf of the three tribes of Tauranga Moana - Ngati Ranginui, Ngai Te Rangi and Ngati Pukenga.
Tauranga Art Gallery's new director Karl Chitham has been officially welcomed into the position this week. Photo: Natascha Hartzuiker/File
Also on hand to welcome the new director were Tauranga City and Western Bay of Plenty mayors Stuart Crosby and Ross Peterson, plus Tauranga Art Gallery Trust Board chairperson Peter Anderson.
The gallery says Karl is hugely experienced and has most recently worked as curator at the Rotorua Museum.
'Karl has worked in Auckland, Waikato and the Bay of Plenty in a variety of curatorial, management, academic and research roles in leading institutions,” says a Gallery spokesperson.
'He has experience and involvement with Artist Alliance and mentoring programmes and he is a selection panel member, advisor, award's judge and curator advisor within the New Zealand arts community.”
The gallery describes Monday's whakatau as a 'moving handing over ceremony from Rotorua City to Tauranga City”.
On Monday, Karl was accompanied by a large contingent from Te Arawa, which included members of the Pukenga Koeke o Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa, Rotorua Lakes Council kaumatua Monty Morrison and mayor Steve Chadwick.
Rotorua Museum's Director Stewart Brown plus Rotorua Museum staff also took part in the ceremony.
4 comments
I wonder
Posted on 28-07-2015 18:57 | By How about this view!
What the hourly rate for that august group was? Two Mayors and their hangers-on, then a few hundred dollars worth of afternoon tea no doubt. AND just around the corner from the food-bank. LUVERLY!!!!
The rort continues
Posted on 28-07-2015 20:29 | By YOGI BEAR
Unabated funding hype.
Surplus to requirements
Posted on 28-07-2015 21:12 | By kellbell
With that sort of welcome its more like a circus than an art gallery but that's par for the course for this outfit.
It has a stench about it
Posted on 29-07-2015 20:15 | By ROCCO
Farewells, greetings, blessings and the whole 9 yards and at what cost. Surely these Councils would have learned splurging lessons by now but apparently not. A simple job appointment does not require the Rotorua mob to be in on the act -they are not required and having regard to recent ruckus over there we don't want or need that lot anywhere near us.
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