22 Facts About Cliff Whiting

Clifford Hamilton Whiting was a New Zealand artist, teacher and advocate for Maori heritage.

In 1955, Whiting began teacher training at Wellington Teachers' College where his artistic talents were quickly recognised.

Cliff Whiting was selected as a district advisor in arts and crafts and, with other young Maori artists including John Bevan Ford, Sandy Adsett, Cath Brown, Ralph Hotere, Paratene Matchitt, Muru Walters and Marilyn Webb, was supported and encouraged by Gordon Tovey, the national supervisor for arts and crafts, to explore and promote traditional and contemporary Maori art within the New Zealand educational system.

Cliff Whiting was encouraged in this by Pineamine Taiapa, a renowned, traditionally trained carver and a relation of Whiting's on his mother's side of the family.

Cliff Whiting joined the New Zealand Historic Places Trust and in 1974 served on the trust's Maori Heritage Advisory Committee.

Cliff Whiting worked with the Historic Places Trust as the Maori buildings adviser and become a leading authority on the restoration of Maori buildings.

Cliff Whiting participated in the Historic Places Trust's first marae conservation project at Manutuke.

Cliff Whiting felt that it was his role to establish and maintain a close connection between the trust and those iwi participating in the various projects.

Cliff Whiting was one of the first Maori artists to illustrate for school publications such as Te Wharekura and Tautoko.

Cliff Whiting played a significant role in a number of important exhibitions in the 1990s, each accompanied by a publication.

Cliff Whiting was able to show how Maoritanga could drive the re-evaluation of contemporary art and craft in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Cliff Whiting introduced into the exhibition unique functional and historical objects, such as the harpoon that caught the last whale off Te Kaha, and ensured that the exhibition took a wider cultural perspective.

Cliff Whiting was a key member of the curatorium for Headlands: Thinking Through New Zealand Art that opened at the MCA in Sydney in 1992.

Cliff Whiting became involved in arts administration and in 1979 was appointed to the Council for Maori and Pacific Arts.

Cliff Whiting was a member and deputy chair of the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council.

Cliff Whiting led the exploration of the museum's bicultural processes based on the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi working with museum staff to develop the Maori exhibitions and care for and display the taonga from around New Zealand held by the museum.

Cliff Whiting's role was to provide advice and ensure that Maaori culture was correctly portrayed when Tourism New Zealand marketed New Zealand as an international visitor destination.

Cliff Whiting worked on the wharenui Maru Kaitatea at Takahanga Marae in Kaikoura, which was opened in 2001.

Cliff Whiting worked on the development of Te Rau Aroha Marae for the Awarua Runanga in Bluff.

Cliff Whiting was conferred an honorary Doctor of Literature degree by Massey University in 1996.

Cliff Whiting received the Alan Highet Award for excellence in the arts in 1986 and was granted honorary life membership of the New Zealand Historic Places Trust in 2004.

Cliff Whiting was born and raised in Te Kaha, New Zealand, and affiliated to the Te Whanau-a-Apanui tribe.