Ihimaera, Knox receive arts laureates

Life improved substantially for prominent author Witi Ihimaera this week.

Ihimaera, who was at the centre of a plagiarism row last week, was today named one of New Zealand's Arts Foundation Laureates for 2009.

The author of Whale Rider is one of five artists to win the award, along with carver Lyonel Grant, musician Chris Knox, photographer Anne Noble and traditional Maori musical instruments guru Richard Nunns.

The awards, presented at the ASB Showgrounds in Auckland this evening, gives the recipients a $50,000 no-strings attached donation to celebrate their past achievements and invest in their future.

Ihimaera, an Auckland University professor, has had a string of successful and highly acclaimed books over a long career, such as the short story collection Pounamu Pounamu and the novels Tangi, The Matriarch and Nights in the Gardens of Spain.

His most successful story, Whale Rider, was made into an internationally successful film by New Zealand director Niki Caro, starring Keisha Castle-Hughes.

But he got into difficulty last week when it was discovered his new novel, The Torwenna Sea, included uncredited material from previous sources.

He apologised for the plagiarised material, which made up 0.4 percent of the novel, and said it would be credited in future editions of the book.

The university's dean of arts, Associate Professor Jan Crosthwaite, said the plagiarism had been investigated and there was no deliberate wrongdoing.

The award will also be a boost in a tough year for alternative music guru Knox.

The man behind Toy Love, Tall Dwarfs and a string of solo albums, who is also noted for his writing, spent two weeks in Auckland Hospital after suffering a stroke in June.

"We monitored Chris' progress for three days, then made the decision to call with news of the award," Arts Foundation executive director Simon Bowden said.

"It was great to be able to deliver some good news to his family at such as terrible time."

Knox did not attend the awards ceremony tonight, with former Flying Nun records boss Roger Shepherd and musician and writer Nick Bollinger accepting it on his behalf.

Lyonel Grant is a Maori carver and sculptor who works with stone, wood, bronze, glass, ceramics and paint. His most recent work is the marae at Unitec in Auckland and he has been invited to contribute to the 2010 Expo pavilion in Shanghai.

Anne Noble is a highly respected contemporary photographer. She was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to photography in 2003, and her series Ruby's Room was selected as the keynote contemporary photography exhibition for the inaugural Paris PhotoQuai Biennale of Photography in 2007.

Nunns is a key figure in the renaissance of traditional Maori musical instruments. Working with the late Hirini Melbourne and with Nelson carver Brian Flintoff, Nunns helped rediscover many traditional instruments, and performs on many of them as well as researching them.

"The Laureate awards are about recognising senior New Zealand artists who have a substantial track record of excellence, and who still have plenty of creative juices left in the tank," Arts Foundation chairwoman Ros Burdon said.