A collection of prized Maori portraits by Gottfried Lindauer is to leave Aotearoa for the first time in over 100 years.
To commemorate the historic occasion, descendants of the painter, his patron and Maori sitters will gather tomorrow at the Auckland Art Gallery to farewell the taonga.
The collection will be exhibited in Germany's capital Berlin, before travelling to the Czech Republic and being shown in Pilsen, Gottfried Lindauer's birthplace.
Toi o Tamaki director Rhana Devenport said the paintings have priceless cultural value for Aotearoa and coming together to farewell the works is a chance to acknowledge their importance.