Maori creativity and enterprise take centre stage

A celebration of Maori creativity and entrepreneurial achievement will be held at the ASB Showgrounds in Greenlane this weekend.

Atamira, meaning to display something important or significant, or Maori In The City, will showcase Maori business stalls, the Kete Aronui art gallery, Maori kai demonstrations, hokohoko, and stage performances by Nesian Mystic and King Kapisi.

To coincide with Atamira, a National Innovation Summit and Icons Evening will be held featuring guest speakers from research and technology areas like science, health and finance.

Icons will be awarded to six successful Maori innovators.

Event manager Alec Hawke said the event was open to all New Zealanders, not just Maori.

"We want everybody to come - it's open to everybody," he said.

The event is hosted by Ngati Whatua and supported by the Ministry of Maori Development.

Atamira will begin this Friday at 9am and run until Sunday afternoon.

In 2007 the event drew a crowd of 80,000.