As Published by Tourism New Zealand
18 February 2010

Prime Minister John Key carved a small area of the waharoa at a poroporoaki (farewell) ceremony at Te Puia Rotorua today.
 An official delegation including Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism John Key today bid farewell to a piece of Māori art that will take centre stage at this year's Shanghai World Expo.

The 10 metre-high, 3 metre-wide kauri waharoa (gateway) in the shape of a waka maumahara (ceremonial canoe) will be shipped to Shanghai next week, where carving will be completed on the forecourt of New Zealand's national pavilion at the Expo.
Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Kevin Bowler says the waharoa will give visitors to the pavilion a chance to experience part of New Zealand's culture first hand.
"With 70 million people expected to pass through the expo over six months, this is an opportunity to get New Zealand in front of a mass of Chinese consumers.
"The waharoa will be left behind as a legacy of the relationship between the two nations, and help attract attention to New Zealand's unique culture and what we offer as a destination," he says.
Prime Minister John Key, along with the Chinese Ambassador, today helped carve a small section of the waharoa as part of a poroporoaki, or farewell.
The project, which has been led by Te Puia with assistance from Tourism New Zealand, will be completed on-site at the New Zealand pavilion. Nine Te Puia carvers, including Head of Te Puia's carving school James Rickard, will spend two months in Shanghai completing the waharoa.
Named Te Kakano (The Seed), it will then be gifted to the people of China as a symbol of the relationship between the two countries.
Kevin Bowler says the project will also be an opportunity to gain media coverage for New Zealand around the Shanghai Expo and extend the reach of other 100% Pure New Zealand marketing activity.
"China is an important tourism market for New Zealand with strong growth potential. We have been in this market running campaign activity for the past two years, but awareness of New Zealand is still low," he says. "This project, and other work planned around the Expo, will give New Zealand a way to grab attention during this huge event."
 
The Shanghai Expo will be open between 1 May and 21 October 2010. Around 400,000 visitors are expected to pass through each day.
The New Zealand Expo Pavilion, which has been developed and managed by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, will take visitors through a 'day in the life of a New Zealand city'. It will highlight our sustainable urban environments and the closeness between our cities and nature.
 The Chinese Ambassador Zhang Limin makes his mark on the waharoa which is bound for Shanghai’s upcoming World Expo.