Jan Bieringa - Te Hono ki Aotearoa director's exclusive interview

Jan Bieringa: Te Hono ki Aotearoa started as an exercise documenting the exchange of the waka for the museum, its intended new home. I thought it would be helpful for museum staff to see and appreciate the negotiation and the people involved, to build understanding of the thinking behind this big vision, of entrusting a waka into another culture. It was, after all, the first time this had ever happened. Again, Te Hono ki Aotearoa is a reflection of a very beautiful project realized both in New Zealand and in Leiden, Holland. The ramifications of this exchange have delighted and surprised us all, as it continues to grow and ripple out in unexpected ways.

Jan Bieringa: As you enter the film and the sound of the Pūtātara (shell trumpet used to signal an event of significance) I sit riveted to my seat and the hairs raise up on my spine, I am galvanised by Tamahou Temara’s voice and the incantation. One knows this is serious, one feels the gravitas of that which is possible.I love the sequence of the meeting of the minds, Steven Engelsman meeting Hekenuimai Busby – Hec. We arrived in the far north where we were to meet Hec Busby who had been commissioned to make the waka. A long drive up to the small shed, streaming with sunlight. Before we could get inside to start recording, Hec & Steven were underway – a real meeting of minds, and they got on like a house on fire. You could see at that stage that this project was going to fly. A really wonderful, brave vision was about to soar. Eleven years on, we witness the original vision has grown into a superb cultural exchange that will be fully celebrated in Waitangi in 2023.

Jan Bieringa: The film was made on a shoestring budget which meant I had to beg, borrow and steal to make the film. I would have loved to have included the early Dutch/NZ history and the migration stories of the 50s, as the subsequent projects and exchanges all refer back. Wonderful conversations were had – I remember a funny exchange with Witi Ihimaera who told me how Maori loved the new imports as they had so much in common, they were both classed as second class citizens by Pakeha, as a consequence they got on so well. Despite the low budget nature of the film it has gone onto have a very happy life, and I am delighted to see Te Hono ki Aotearoa now on Beama, a very natural home for this film.

Jan Bieringa: Being able to show the ongoing symbolic nature of the 'vessel' as a carrier of cultural aspirations and the sharing of those aspirations with others reinforces the cultural and spiritual bonds that have been created through the ambitious vision to bring Holland & New Zealand closer together. The waka for Leiden originally, has now become the Waka for Europe. Personally and professionally it has meant a huge amount to me and I believe the telling of this story on film has contributed to the overall success of this significant cultural exchange.

Jan Bieringa: Last year Luit and I finished a feature documentary Signed, Theo Schoon which travelled around Aotearoa in the NZIFF and is now on TV. Happily, it is having further screenings in galleries and museums around the country. Again the film has a Dutch connection: Signed, Theo Schoon traces the story of one of our more complex characters, this layered portrait re-examines the exploits of an influential outsider, Dutch immigrant artist Theo Schoon, told in his own words and through first-hand accounts. This is a redressing of forgetfulness where we have bypassed his role in a series of major issues with artists working in the visual, musical, and Maori arts - the issues that arose remain a source of fascination for writers, art historians and Maori people themselves who have continued to contribute to shaping this country’s culture.