Six join 'living circle' of arts heroes

Previous winner Hone Tuwhare

Six senior artists with a combined age of 481 years received the Arts Foundation of New Zealand Icon Awards at a ceremony in Wellington last night.

The awards, established by charitable trust the Arts Foundation in 2003 to create a "living circle" of arts champions, went to musician Peter Godfrey, former opera singer Donald Munro, writers Patricia Grace and Margaret Mahy, carver Pakariki Harrison and former ballet star Alexander Grant.

The icons remain with artists until their death, after which they are handed on to other recipients.

The awards were presented by foundation chair Richard Cathie and architect Sir Miles Warren, who received an Icon Award in 2003. The ceremony, at Wellington's Event Centre, was attended by 540 people.

Patricia Grace, 68, and Margaret Mahy, 69, are widely known for their longstanding services to literature.

Grace's debut novel, Mutuwhenua (1978), was the first novel published by a Maori woman, and her latest work Tu is on the shortlist for the Montana New Zealand Book Awards.

Mahy is an internationally acclaimed writer of children's, young adults' and fantasy books. She was the first non-British writer to win the coveted Carnegie Medal, which she went on to win twice more. Her book Madigan's Fantasia has just been made into a television series.

Peter Godfrey, 83, former head of Auckland University's music faculty, has a long association with musical and choral groups including the Auckland String Players, the Dorian Choir, Auckland University Choral Society, the National Youth Choir and the Orpheus Choir. He founded the New Zealand Choral Federation in 1985, and became Professor Emeritus of Auckland University in 2002.

Pakariki Harrison, 79, started carving as part of a long family tradition at the age of 10, and is regarded as the pre-eminent tohunga in the field. He carved the meeting house on Whaiora Marae in Otara in 1975, and has worked on major projects at St Stephens School and Auckland University, and as adviser for Te Papa.

Donald Munro, 92, started performing as a baritone in 1938. He studied at the Royal School of Music in London during World War II.

He taught in Dunedin in the early 50s, then moved to Wellington where he became an advocate for the works of Douglas Lilburn. Munro founded New Zealand's first opera company in 1953.

He became Dean of Music at the University of Adelaide 1967-78, and has long lived in Sydney.

Alexander Grant, 80, took ballet classes from the age of seven but his entry into London's Sadler's Wells School was delayed until he was 21 because of World War II. He made up for lost time by joining the company's main troupe and quickly becoming a favourite soloist with choreographers such as Leonid Massine and Frederick Ashton.

He was the director of the National Ballet of Canada for seven years. In his eighth decade, he still gives coaching and production advice to the Scottish Ballet and English National Ballet.

The latest icon inductees join potter Len Castle, writers Maurice Gee and Hone Tuwhare, architect Sir Miles Warren, artists Ralph Hotere and Milan Mrkusich, weaver Diggeress Te Kanawa, opera singer Sir Donald McIntyre, choreographer Russell Kerr.