Research has identified a previously unrecognised 1917 painting by Goldie. NZ artbroker are thrilled to bring this treasured taonga to market. Exhibited originally in Christchurch in the Annual Exhibition of the Canterbury Society of Arts in 1917, ‘Lost in Thought, Ngāheke, An Arawa Chieftain’ returns to Ōtautahi, 109 years later.
A significant portrait, ‘Lost in Thought, Ngāheke, An Arawa Chieftain’ by renowned New Zealand artist Charles Frederick Goldie has been comprehensively authenticated and recontextualised following five years of detailed research, conservation, and expert analysis. Previously unrecorded Goldie paintings seldom emerge, making discoveries of this nature exceptionally rare.
Originally exhibited at the Canterbury Society of Arts in 1917, ‘Lost in Thought, Ngāheke, An Arawa Chieftain’ (1917) disappeared from records until its purchase from an Estate in Australia in 2020. This set off a journey of research, multiple authentications and valuations confirming both its historical and artistic significance.
‘Lost in Thought’ is now confirmed as an original Goldie work, supported by extensive technical examination, historical documentation, and multiple independent expert reports. The research consolidates conservation findings, exhibition history, stylistic comparisons, and new evidence identifying the sitter as Patara Te Ngūngūkai, a high-ranking chieftain and tohunga of the Tuhourangi Ngāheke hapū of Te Arawa.
The portrait was originally exhibited in 1917 at the Canterbury Society of Arts annual exhibition in Christchurch, with surviving labels and frame details providing rare and direct material links to its first public showing. The original frame, attributed to McGregor Wright, and the exhibition numbering further strengthen its provenance.
The identification of the sitter as Patara Te Ngūngūkai marks a major development in the painting’s history. Goldie is known to have worked from photographs, and the portrait closely aligns with archival images held in national collections, while also reflecting the artist’s characteristic interpretive approach.
The late art historian Roger Blackley’s scholarship, alongside additional expert opinion, situates the work firmly within Goldie’s broader oeuvre and exhibition record.
This is an important newly discovered work within Goldie’s body of work and within the cultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand. For descendants of Patara Te Ngūngūkai and the Tuhourangi Ngāheke hapū, the painting represents both a taonga and a lasting testament to whakapapa.
‘Lost in Thought, Ngāheke, An Arawa Chieftain’ will be listed for sale on nzartbroker.com, 7pm Sunday 19 July, 2026. A viewing event will be held at NZ artbroker on Thursday 23 July 2026, 5-7.30pm at 2 Kingsley St, Sydenham, Christchurch.
Images and supporting documentation available on request.
Media Release on 13 July 2026
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Jen McBride, Director, NZ artbroker
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