March 03, 2023
Ans Westra keeper of Māori memory
A memorial service will be held in Wellington today for photographer Ans Westra, who died on Sunday aged 85.
Tamahou Temara, the tumu whakarae for Toi Maori, says the Dutch-born migrant built up a valuble record or Maori history and life during her long career.
She was also generous about sharing the images.
“I remember my mother taking an exhibition from Te Papa over to Ngaruawahia and it captured images of Tainui Waikato for the people to have a look and reminisce, have a look at their relations and tipuna,” he says.
Mr Temara says Ans Westra came from Leiden, which is a town Toi Maori has now developed a relationship with through the hosting of the waka Te Hono ki Aotearoa at the Museum Volkenkunde, the Netherlands Ethnology Museum.
The memorial for Ans Westra will be held at the Public Trust Hall in Wellington at 4pm.
The service will be livestreamed and the link will be available through www.suite.co.nz/news.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Red Cross New Zealand Disaster Fund for Cyclone Gabrielle Relief. Messages to the family can be sent to C/- Lychgate Funerals, 306 Willis Street, Aro Valley, Wellington.