Perkins has been credited with bringing Modern Art to New Zealand with his arrival in 1929, this work would have been made when the the family moved to Rotorua.
"The family had moved to Rotorua because it was thought the climate would improve Berry Perkins's health, but the availability of Māori subjects was another attraction. Perkins greatly admired Māori art, and his portraits of Māori sitters are devoid of any hint of condescension. Nevertheless, some unpublished book illustrations and the combination of forms borrowed from Māori carving with human figures in 'Haka' may raise for later viewers the issue of cultural appropriation, or – in the case of 'Māori meeting' – exploitative exoticism. In working from the first version of this painting towards the final version (1932–34), Perkins placed more stress on the Māoriness of his subjects, removing some evidence of European influence and inserting what he considered to be more typically Māori details. Romanticism is here in clear conflict with his approach to landscape"
R. D. J. Collins. 'Perkins, Christopher Edward - Biography', from the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 1-Sep-10
URL: http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/biographies/4p9/1