This thesis is about Māori control in Pākehā spaces. Using the story of the Te Māori Exhibition, it discusses mainstream environments where critical decisions are often made for, about, and without Māori people. It focuses on the public and private stories of the Te Māori Exhibition, and the transformative potential. Approaches by Māori to be heard, to have control over decisions that affect them, and to have their knowledge, history, culture and traditions validated, has been a struggle for them since colonization. An idealistic view is for Māori to exercise a fundamental right to be heard, and to be able to represent themselves, or at least have a say in the decision-making process over issues that affect them.