The Polynesian Cultural Center

The Polynesian Cultural Center, owned and operated by the Church in Laie, Hawaii, was recently selected as the first recipient of the newly created Pacific Cultural Award, presented by the Pacific Air Travel Association (PATA). The award was given in recognition of the center’s role in developing and preserving the cultures of the Pacific. Each year thousands of visitors see and participate in the life-styles of Hawaii, Fiji, the New Zealand Maoris, Marquesas, Samoa, Tahiti, and Tonga. PATA President Matthew A. Ramsden, left, with Dave Huffman, chairman of PATA’s Hawaii chapter, made the presentation to William Cravens, vice-president and general manager of the Polynesian Cultural Center. The award is an eight-foot wall-hanging depicting the kahikatea tree, a New Zealand evergreen. It was created in lamb’s wool by Vivienne Mountfort, one of New Zealand’s leading weavers.