A gift fit for a president

Those into woodturning say their craft has never been recognised by way of an official exchange of gifts between world leaders.

That changed last week when Prime Minister John Key presented China's President Xi Jinping with a 'kiwi-panda ball', an orb fashioned from more than 1000 small rounds of New Zealand native wood featuring a kiwi on one side and a panda on the other.

The majority of the wood was kauri supplied by Awanui's Ancient Kauri Kingdom, and the craftsmen were Alby Hall and his son (and apprentice) Dylan.

Mr Hall, a five-time winner of the woodturning title at the annual National Woodskills Competition, was at the Ancient Kauri Kingdom for 17 years, and in that time has produced some extraordinary work. This was the first time he contributed to making international history.

The orb, commissioned by New Zealand Forests as an official gift to mark 40 years of diplomatic relations between New Zealand and the People's Republic of China, was laminated mainly with ancient swamp kauri although other native timbers were also used to symbolise the harmony of different cultures.

Mr Hall said he and Dylan had worked on the piece for two weeks, including weekends. Two were made to ensure at least one would reach its intended destination.

It was the first piece Dylan had worked on, "So he's pretty up there already," he said, although he had no plans to step aside in deference to the next generation for at least another decade.

Mr Hall's work, typically inlaid with fish, birds, seascapes, land images and sun rays as an expression of his concern regarding the damage man is doing to the planet, has earned him an international reputation.

His work is represented in the prestigious Bohlen Collection, in the US, which has been hand-picked from throughout the world.