The exhibitions 'Kura Pounamu, Treasured Stone of Aotearoa New Zealand'  and 'Brian Brake: Lens on China and New Zealand' were jointly developed by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, and the National Museum of China, Beijing, to celebrate 40 years of diplomatic recognition of the Peoples Republic of China. They opened on 31 October 2012. The NZ Ambassador to China, Carl Worker, the Te Papa Director, Michael Houlihan, and Te Papa curators were welcomed in the vast, imposing main hall in a very formal ceremony which rigidly separated the general audience, including NZ Embassy staff, from the lineup of dignitaries and Chinese choir. Maori representatives Shane Te Ruki (Ngati Maniapoto) and Richard Wallace (Ngai Tahu) opened the exhibitions with a karakia.