Feeling jaded? Head to New Zealand

An artist's rendering of the New Zealand pavilion. Inset left: A mask of Kaitiaki, a New Zealand term describing the Maori concept of guardianship for the sky, the sea and the land. Inset right: Dancers perform the Kapa Haka, a cultural dance of the Maori people. [File photos]

Visitors may be able to grasp a sense of what it feels like to be a Kiwi simply by rubbing a large piece of indigenous jade at the entrance gates of the island country's pavilion when the Expo opens in May.

The 1.8-ton greenstone, known to the native Maori people as pounamu, is meant to further symbolize the connection between China and New Zealand, as the rock is significant to both peoples, said Phillip Gibson, commissioner-general of the New Zealand pavilion.

"As visitors touch the precious stone, they will be touching the heart of New Zealand, and we invite everyone to come and touch it," he added.

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With titans from New Zealand's film industry such as music composer for the Lord of the Ring trilogy's Plan 9, and King Kong's Greens Master Kim Jarrett lending a hand to production and special effects inside the pavilion, New Zealand's history will be presented to visitors in an educational journey which takes the form of a three-act play.

First, visitors will pass through the 'gateway of Tane', known in Maori mythology as God of Forests. According to ancient legend, Tane used his special powers to separate his mother, Goddess of Earth, and his father, God of Sky, to create the world we live in today.

Meanwhile, the second part of the 2,000-sq-m pavilion will focus on illustrating a day in the life of a modern New Zealand family. Act two of the pavilion tour will be shown through giant screens accompanied by a melody of soundtracks, said Dean Cato, who is heading the production.

"Visitors will see the everyday activities of a typical family," he added.

"By the end of the day, a family that spans three generations sit down together for dinner. This is how we value and interpret a good life.

In the third and final stage, the pavilion running under the sub-theme "Cities of Nature, Living between Land and Sky", will highlight the country's natural green space on its rooftop garden that will be covered by plants and shrubbery.

An additional emphasis will be placed on how New Zealanders live daily with regards to the Expo theme of "Better City, Better Life".

"Better life is all about people," said Cato.

"Play, work, and being with the people we love all contributes to society and what we think a better life should be."