ABSTRACT
On 9 June 1995, at 4.45 am in the grounds of Clandon Park, a National Trust property near Guildford, Surrey, England, a remarkable ceremony took place. The ceremony was Te whakatapua o nga taonga wbakairo o Hinemihi ki Ingarangi (the blessing of carvings for Hinemihi meeting house in England). As the sun rose, the New Zealand High Commissioner, Lord Onslow (whose family originally owned Clandon Park) and the National Trust Administrator were challenged by three warriors wearing flax kilts from Ngati Hinemihi. 1 Kuia (women elders) from Ngati Hinemihi called the participants in the ceremony on to the marae (the area in front of the meeting house) in front of Hinemihi, and kuia from the London Maori Club, Ngati Ranana, responded.
