Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

New Year Honours: Celebrated Northland Māori artist, conservationist, and Treaty negotiator Alex Nathan carves a name for himself

Karina Cooper
By Karina Cooper
News Director·Northern Advocate·
30 Dec, 2021 04:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Alex Nathan says it is still sinking in that he has received the NZ Order of Merit for services to Māori and art. Photo / Tania Whyte

Alex Nathan says it is still sinking in that he has received the NZ Order of Merit for services to Māori and art. Photo / Tania Whyte

Alexander Nathan, Whangārei
New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori and art

The rich tapestry of artist and Treaty negotiator Alexander Nathan's life and achievements have been acknowledged with a New Zealand Order of Merit awarded in today's New Year Honours.

"It's still sinking in," Nathan said.

A key chapter in the artist's "chalk and cheese" life story is his heavy involvement in the research and presentation of the Treaty of Waitangi claims lodged by Te Iwi o Roroa in 1986.

He was one of the lead negotiators from the conclusion of the Treaty of Waitangi Report in 1992 to a reached settlement in 2008, and chaired Te Roroa until 2010 in the post-settlement phase.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It took 13 years to settle with the Crown and only two of us were left," he said.

Nathan helped establish Matatina Marae located in the midst of the Waipoua Forest and represented Te Rorora over the protection of the forest and Kai Iwi Lakes in negotiations with local and regional councils plus government agencies.

He and conservationist Stephen King established the Waipoua Forest Trust that has planted 1,550,000 million trees since its 1998 inception.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The trust is an innovative bicultural conservation partnership that gives Māori joint governance in its property management.

"We're still achieving its primary purpose of recovery and rehabilitation of that Kauri environment," Nathan, the trust's honorary chairman, said.

He has been an instrumental part of restoration work for the health of the largest surviving kauri, Tāne Mahuta, and other environmentally beneficial projects in Waipoua Forest such as monitoring scientific research permits and highway management.

Nathan has also carved a name for himself as an internationally renowned artist known for his use of silver in indigenous art form.

Discover more

New Year Honours: Community stalwart emphasises team work ahead of self

30 Dec 04:00 PM

New Year Honours: Professor Cindy Kiro made a dame

30 Dec 04:00 PM

New Year Honours: Shipley stresses volunteer importance as basketball booms

30 Dec 04:00 PM
Kahu

New Year Honours: Bishop of Te Tai Tokerau, Te Kitohi Pikaahu recognised

30 Dec 04:00 PM

He is believed to be the only New Zealand artist who uses the traditional Hopi overlay technique in his work which involves tracing a design on a sheet of silver and then painstakingly carving it by hand.

Nathan's enthralment with silver is a non-traditional step away from his customary beginnings working with bone, stone, and as a carver.

The turning point was a 1991 wānanga organised by revered New Zealand artist and painter Sandy Adsett at his marae, Raupunga Te Huki, and led by American Hopi silversmith and artist Michael Kabotie.

"I was one of the ring-ins. All the other artists were heads of departments at the various institutes they were working … in the end, I was the only one that actually carried on with it."

It's an ardour Nathan endeavours to pass on as he collaborates with indigenous artists globally from the United States, Canada, Japan, and various Pacific nations.

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Northern Advocate

Northern Advocate

Northland candidates meetings set for local elections 2025

Northern Advocate

Micro-quakes, big questions: Northland's unexpected seismic activity

Northern Advocate

Animal rescuers say 'ugly' culture of chaining dogs a 'tragedy waiting to happen'


Sponsored

NZ’s convenience icon turns 35

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

Northland candidates meetings set for local elections 2025
Northern Advocate

Northland candidates meetings set for local elections 2025

Local body elections voting opens on September 9 and closes on October 11.

05 Sep 04:00 AM
Micro-quakes, big questions: Northland's unexpected seismic activity
Northern Advocate

Micro-quakes, big questions: Northland's unexpected seismic activity

04 Sep 11:00 PM
Animal rescuers say 'ugly' culture of chaining dogs a 'tragedy waiting to happen'
Northern Advocate

Animal rescuers say 'ugly' culture of chaining dogs a 'tragedy waiting to happen'

04 Sep 05:00 PM


NZ’s convenience icon turns 35
Sponsored

NZ’s convenience icon turns 35

02 Sep 09:23 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP