Pioneer Maori Film-maker Passes

21 FEBRUARY 2008

Pioneer Maori Film-maker Passes

Creative New Zealand mourns the loss of pioneer Maori film-maker Barry Barclay (Ngati Apa and Ngati Pakeha), who passed away on the 18th February after suffering a stroke.

"Barry Barclay's contribution to the development of a New Zealand screen presence must be acknowledged for its importance,"said Stephen Wainright, Chief Executive of Creative New Zealand. "As a film and documentary maker he has helped create some defining moments of our screen history".

The Tangata Whenua series of 1974, which Barry Barclay worked on with the late John O'Shea and the late Michael King, and Ngati in 1987 in which he became the first Maori to direct a dramatic feature film, are seminal works which introduced aspects of Maori life to mainstream New Zealand television and film.

"Barry Barclay's work as image-maker and writer have added understanding to the dynamics of cultural identity in New Zealand and the important issues of cultural ownership", Stephen Wainright said.

Barry Barclay's recent work was a book published in 2005 titled Mana Tuturu: Maori Treasures and Intellectual Property Rights. He won many accolades for his work, including being made an Arts Laureate by the Arts Foundation of New Zealand in 2004.

ENDS

© Scoop Media