By Shark Nett Gallery

01/17/2011 AA Directions > Traveller > Shark Nett Gallery, Havelock Summer Issue: October 2010 On the outskirts of Havelock, overlooking the head of Pelorus Sound, is a treasure trove of intricate Maori wood carvings. This is no collection of artefacts – all the carvings have been created in the last two decades – but it is full of history nonetheless. For each carving tells a story of the ancestors of local iwi Rangitane. More than 70 pieces – believed to be the biggest private collection of contemporary Maori carvings in the country – is housed in the Shark Nett Gallery. There’s a story behind the gallery, too – of a couple’s determination to preserve their heritage. Michael and Lynette Bradley have set out to reproduce the tribe’s history because so much of it was lost through the confiscation, theft and damage of traditional artworks in previous centuries. The Bradleys first started collecting carvings in 1989, motivated by an appreciation of the craftsmanship involved. However, in 1990 Michael became Rangitane chairman and discovered how few artworks the iwi had. He decided to do something about it, and instigated a wood carving course in which the carvers created works that recounted the tribe’s history. “I wanted to restore pride in our iwi and reconnect us with our past. I saw that Europeans had kept their art and culture intact and it gave them a sense of worth,’’ he explains. The course ran for several years and the Bradleys bought many of the carvings created. However, a health scare was the ultimate catalyst for the gallery. After being diagnosed with cancer, Michael resigned from his various public positions and, once well again, began making furniture out of native timber sourced from local rivers. Often customers who came to buy furniture would see the carvings hanging on the walls of their home and ask to have a look, and so the idea for a gallery took shape. The gallery, which is next to their home, opened late last year. It is named after them; Michael, a former commercial fisherman, has the nickname Sharkey, while friends often abbreviate Lynette’s name. The gallery is intimate and personal; the entrance is flanked by carvings telling the Bradleys’ stories (Lynette is of Ngati Porou descent). As well as carvings, there are also ceremonial feather cloaks and flax skirts, and greenstone and argillite artefacts on display. The Bradleys conduct public tours of the gallery twice a day and group tours on demand. Most of their visitors are foreigners seeking an authentic cultural experience, although they also have a lot of school and service groups. Next in the pipeline is a café next to the gallery. They also plan to continue commissioning carvings and building their collection. “There are just so many stories to be told,’’ Michael says. Story by Karen Clark Photos by Frank Gasteiger