An art exhibition was described as ''two cultures coming together'' at the official opening of ''Archives: Te Wahi Pounamu''.
About 60 people attended a powhiri at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery yesterday, including artists Areta Wilkinson and Mark Adams, whose work incorporated
Ngai Tahu jewellery and 19th-century photography.
Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu representative David Higgins said the exhibition was important for the people of Dunedin.
''Our people that are going to be here over the next weekend are going to have a chance to see ... not just the images but the people behind the images,'' he said.
''The wairua [spirit] still lives on ... in these parts.''
He said Dunedin was a beautiful place and the exhibition showcased it.
Gallery director Cam McCracken said it was an ''incredible privilege'' to have a show of this magnitude in Dunedin.
The artists were thankful to all those who had helped put the exhibition together and said they could not have done it without the relationships they had formed with Ngai Tahu whanui over the years.
The exhibition runs until February 28.
