A special fundraising screening of the New Zealand documentary Hinemihi: The House with the Golden Eyes comes to King’s College London this October, followed by a panel bringing together people closely involved in Hinemihi’s story and future.
Directed by Toby Mills and Rawiri J Tapiata, the documentary traces the remarkable journey of Hinemihi o Te Ao Tawhito, the Māori wharenui built at Te Wairoa in Aotearoa New Zealand in the early 1880s. Hinemihi sheltered dozens of people during the devastating 1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera before her whakairo (carvings) were taken to England in the 1890s, where she has stood at Clandon Park in Surrey for more than a century.
Today, Hinemihi is at the centre of a major cultural exchange project involving Ngāti Hinemihi representatives in Aotearoa, UK-based group Te Maru o Hinemihi and the National Trust. Plans would see Hinemihi’s original whakairo returned to Ngāti Hinemihi in Aotearoa, while new whakairo created by Māori carvers will form part of a renewed wharenui at Clandon, continuing its role as a place of gathering and connection for Māori and Pasifika communities in the UK.
Following the screening, a panel is scheduled to include filmmaker Toby Mills; master carver Colin Tihi, who is overseeing the whakairo exchange project; Kōhanga alumni sharing their experiences of growing up with Hinemihi in Britain; the Chair of Te Maru o Hinemihi; and a representative from the National Trust.
The evening offers a chance to hear directly from those involved in the project, learn about the new carvings and proposed wharenui, and explore the relationships between Hinemihi, her whānau and the generations of Māori who have maintained a connection with her in both Aotearoa and Britain.
Doors open at 7pm, with the screening beginning at 7.30pm. The event is organised by Te Maru o Hinemihi, with proceeds supporting its work around Hinemihi and the cultural exchange project.