This Maori wall hanging symbolises Aoteroa (New Zealand). The brown weka feathers denote Mother Earth or Papatūānuku, who gives life to all things. The green pigeon (kereru) feathers represent the Pacific Ocean, Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, whose waters caress the islands. Cream muka flax fibre signifies the growth and interweaving of peoples under a myriad of stars. Muka bears great social and spiritual significance for Maori since its inner fibre is understood to connect the physical and unseen realms, linking ancestors with current and future generations.

Diggeress Rangituatahi Te Kanawa was a master weaver (tohunga raranga) who did much to revive Maori weaving traditions in the mid-twentieth century. At the time of her death, she was regarded as New Zealand’s foremost weaver. 

The Maori Women’s Welfare League presented the hanging to Queen Elizabeth II at Government House, Wellington, New Zealand, on 8 February 1990.