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RNZ News
4 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
More than 15k Māori and Moriori cultural heritage items may be in overseas museums and universities
By Māpuna Photo: All rights Reserved The Kaihautū of Te Papa says there could be well over 15,000 pieces of Māori and Moriori cultural heritage in overseas museums and universities. Arapata Hakiwai, who's been at Te Papa Tongarewa, Museum of New Zealand in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington since it opened in 1998, told Māpuna his work with the museum began with an order from academic Sir Hirini Moko Mead. "He actually said 'Arapata you should go teaching' so I went teaching at Wellington High and he said 'you must go and work for the national museum'. It was very new to me but I found very quickly within the first year or so I was thrown well and truly into the deep end." Hakiwai said he soon realised the museum was outdated and needed to change. "Māori and Moriori ancestors, hundreds, thousands of them were taken, traded, swapped, exchanged, sold to other museums and knowing that our museum was implicitly involved in that at the highest levels." He went on to do research on the number of pieces of Māori and Moriori cultural heritage held in overseas museums and universities. "It's well over the 15, 16 thousand... and this is just a conservative figure because these figures now would be absolutely updated, there's well over 33 museums in the United States, well over 30 museums in the UK that hold Māori taonga and many of them hold large numbers. The Field Museum hold probably one of the largest, over two and a half thousand Māori taonga." The reality is a large percentage of indigenous cultural heritage is held offshore and a large percentage of that comes from an early period and that heritage should be connected back to Māori and Moriori people, Hakiwai said. "The sad reality is over 95 percent wouldn't know off that, wouldn't be aware of the extent of that or where their taonga are, or who have them." This information should be available to Māori and Moriori as matter of right not privilege, he said. Sir Hirini would often say that there are many unique taonga held overseas that we don't have equivalent to back in New Zealand, Hakiwai said. Such as Te Rā in the British Museum The Karanga Aotearoa repatriation programme began in 2003 with a sole focus on tīpuna koiwi or human remains. Hakiwai said many museums throughout the world have agreed to return the tīpuna, a huge change from when the programme started. Many museums in the international community of museums are realising the old practice of 'amassing treasures' can't continue, he said, but there are still museums who keep acquiring. The 1984 Te Māori exhibition has had a huge impact and legacy for the relationships between Māori and overseas museums, he said. "If you take Chicago at the Field Museum, the Field Museum was the last venue of Te Māori and what followed from Te Māori was the restoration of Ruatepupuke, what followed from Te Māori was you had a delegation of staff who traveled over to Tokomaru Bay to say that 'we would like to do something with respect to Ruatepupuke.'" The 19th century wharenui Ruatepupuke originally built in 1881 in Tokomaru Bay now at the Field Museum in Chicago by way of Frankfurt in Germany offers a unique example in to how museums can build partnerships with indigenous people. Maori Meeting House, Ruatepupuke II - Field Museum of Natural History Chicago Photo: Joyofmuseums Hakiwai was involved in the restoration of the wharenui in the 1990s after elders from Tokomaru visited him in Wellington. "They said 'our tīpuna whare is over there but it's unclothed, we need to re-clothe it, it's lonely, it's naked and we want to rectify that'." Initially he believed the project would culminate with the whare's repatriation, but his elders told him "Arapata kia tau te mauri, settle down." They wanted to work with the Field Museum to "reclothe" the whare tūpuna, and it remains in Chicago to this day one of the very few wharenui outside Aotearoa. Hakiwai said he believes museums can have a higher purpose in society by helping to support and uplift the foundations of culture and identity. Even if that means it is time for some of taonga within the collections of Te Papa to return home. "If that is the desire of iwi, hapū and whānau for their taonga to be returned and homed we will work with them to achieve those ends... Having taonga back in their community, in their whenua amongst their people, elevating the histories and their mana and significance surely that's something far greater than taonga sitting on a shelf," he said. It's part of reconciling what can a museum be rather than blindly following what museums are now, he said.
RNZ News
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Decorative Art Design History through Second Hand Shopping
history arts 32 minutes ago As avid opshoppers will know, second hand and antique stores still turn up treasures. Objects from past eras, fallen foul of fashion but that will inevitably return to the cool shelf. Of such shoppers Poneke Wellington's Walter Cook is a collector legend. Cook's first purchase was as a 24-year-old student in 1965. It was an art nouveau tea set from the Willis street shop Odds and Ends. Cook didn't just have a rare passion for old things, as an obsessive collector and reader he had the rare ability to think beyond trends and smartly create a rich private collection, at a bargain. A collection that tells the history of decorative art, from the Arts and Crafts Movement from the 1860s on, through Art Deco, to 1970s modernism. And then, just as the market caught up with Walter in the late 1980s, Cook had the public largesse to gift his collection to the nation. Justine Olsen is curator of decorative art and design at Te Papa. The title of her recently released book Towards Modernism: The Walter Cook Collection at Te Papa, is deceptive. Deceitive because this smartly designed book iss about far more than just about Walter Cook and the collection. It provides an accessible history of modern decorative art as it relates to Aotearoa as a trading nation. It also highlights notable designers through beautiful objects, and chronicles many great retailers and passionate antique dealers along the way. She spoke to Culture 101's Mark Amery.
Scoop
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Taikura Kapa Haka Returns To Te Papa For Matariki
This weekend, Te Papa will once again come alive with the wairua of over 600 kaumātua as Taikura Kapa Haka 2025 takes centre stage. This annual festival celebrating and showcasing kapa haka and kaumātua takes over Aotearoa New Zealand's national museum on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 June. Whether you're a long-time supporter or a first-time attendee, nau mai, haere mai, tautoko mai – come and witness the living legacy of kapa haka. The event will also be livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube, watched by over 100,000 people from around the world, and ensuring whānau near and far can join in the celebration. Each of the 17 regional, marae-based, and hāhi rōpū brings its own regional flair, waiata, and kōrero, creating a rich and vibrant showcase of traditional Māori performing arts, deeply rooted in whakapapa, tikanga, and mātauranga. Chair of He Kura Te Tangata Trust, Turongo Paki says, 'Taikura kaumaatua kapa haka is a festival for all kaumaatua from across the motu to gather and share our culture, the culture that was left behind to us by our tuupuna. 'Although this kaupapa has grown and has become popular, we still have a kaupapa to maintain and that's to celebrate iconic composers such a Tuini Ngawai, Paraire Tomoana, Kingi Tahiwi, Te Puea Herangi, Kingi Ihaka and many more. 'Taikura is the only platform where you would find such taonga showcased by our revered reanga, our kaumatua', adds Turongo. Te Papa Kaihautū | Māori Co-leader, Dr Arapata Hakiwai acknowledges the importance of this kaupapa. 'Taikura Kapa Haka is a deeply powerful celebration of whakapapa, vitality, unity, and our kaumātua who are the taonga of our communities. 'When they stand on stage, they carry the voices of their tīpuna and the hopes of their mokopuna. Their strength, grace, and aroha remind us who we are and where we come from. 'This event embodies the spirit of Matariki mā Puanga: coming together, honouring our past, and looking forward with hope. 'It's an honour for Te Papa to host these living legends.' Carl Ross Te Matatini Te Manahautū | Chief Executive says, 'It's proven that participation in kapa haka promotes physical and mental wellbeing, while the social connections and cultural pride enhances mental health and emotional resilience. 'The Taikura Festival invigorates our kaumātua and gives whānau an opportunity to support and celebrate their nannies and koros performing on stage. 'I am pleased that Te Matatini will continue to strengthen our longstanding relationship with Te Papa as a supporter of Taikura 2025.' Taikura Kapa Haka 2025 is supported by Te Matatini, Te Māngai Pāho, Te Tumu Paeroa, and Te Taura Whiri I te Reo Māori. About Taikura Kapa Haka: The origins of Taikura Kapa Haka date back to early 2000s and the late Te Arikinui Kahurangi (Dame) Te Atairangikaahu who saw the need for performers who no longer participated in Māori performing arts competitions to have a place where old action songs, poi, haka, and waiata could be performed again. As a result, in 2005, under the chairmanship of the late Tama Huata, Taikura was introduced to Te Matatini with the kaupapa of reviving and performing compositions that were composed prior to 1970 by iconic figures such as Princess Te Rangi Pai, Ariki Te Puea Herangi, Hone Heke. Sir Apirana Ngata, Paraire Tomoana, Kingi Tahiwi, Guide Bella, Te Aritaua Pitama, Tuini Ngawai, and many others. In 2008 the He Kura Te Tangata Trust was formed to oversee the kaupapa with the late Tama Huata as the inaugural Chair, alongside trustees, Te Paekiomeka Ruha, Mamae Takerei, Julie Dwyer and the late Puti Mackey.
RNZ News
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Four questions museum visitors should ask themselves this school holidays
By Olli Hellmann of An exhibition of Tūrangawaewae Art at Te Papa in 2018. Photo: Supplied/ Te Papa Analysis - The winter school holidays will mean families across Aotearoa New Zealand will be looking for indoor activities to entertain children. With millions of visitors each year, museums focused on the country's history will inevitably play host to local and international visitors. Museums tend to enjoy a high level of trust among the public. They're widely seen as neutral, factual sources of historical knowledge. But like all forms of storytelling, museums present the past in particular ways. They narrate events from a certain group's or individual's perspective and explain why events unfolded in the way they did. In this respect, museums are not so different from historical films. Consider the different ways two recent movies - 1917 and the remake of All Quiet on the Western Front - narrate the first world war. In 1917, the storyteller takes the British side, encouraging viewers to invest in the bravery and endurance of British soldiers. But All Quiet on the Western Front is narrated from a German perspective, inviting viewers to grieve for German soldiers as victims of a political system that glorified war. Museum exhibitions tell stories in a similar way. Visitors should be asking not just what story is told, but why. Spoiler alert: it often has to do with national identity. Museums tell particular stories of the past because these stories support a particular image of New Zealand as a nation. At its core, every story has two basic ingredients: actors and events. To turn these into a compelling narrative, the storyteller connects the events into a plot, so they build on each other. The storyteller also transforms actors into characters by giving them particular traits - brave, selfish, wise, cruel and the like. Museums do this, too. As you move through a museum exhibition, try asking yourself the following questions: 1. Which historical events are included - and which are left out? Every story begins somewhere. Museums choose which events to include and which to leave out, shaping how visitors understand what happened and why. Take Te Papa's Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War exhibition. It opens with the landing at ANZAC Cove but skips over events in the lead-up to WWI - such as Britain's earlier moves to seize Ottoman territories like Cyprus and Egypt. Leaving these out helps frame Gallipoli as a noble - albeit tragic - "coming of age" for New Zealand. But in reality, ANZAC soldiers were fighting to support Britain's imperial ambitions in the Middle East. 2. How are events organised into a plot? Museums don't just say "this happened, then that happened". They link events into a larger plot - a chain of cause and effect that explains how one thing led to another. This can happen through text, but also through spatial layout, lighting, sound and other techniques that guide visitors through rising and falling moments of narrative tension. Often, museums use familiar plot types to connect events. One common example is the quest narrative - a story in which heroes must navigate unknown terrain, and where mistakes are part of the journey and threaten to derail the mission. It's a bit like The Lord of the Rings: a journey full of challenges, wrong turns and personal growth. At Te Kōngahu Museum of Waitangi, Aotearoa New Zealand's Treaty story is told using this quest structure. The Treaty is presented as something unique and unfamiliar and the British, confronted with this unknown, fall back on familiar colonial practices - the "mistake" that led to the New Zealand wars. Because this misstep is treated as part of the learning curve typical of any quest, the exhibition avoids harder questions about this violent part of history, and instead preserves the image of Aotearoa New Zealand as fundamentally tolerant and respectful. 3. Who are the main actors in the story - and who is missing? Every story needs protagonists, and whose perspective frames the story matters. In many smaller regional museums, history is still told almost entirely from the viewpoint of European settlers. But what about Māori experiences of colonisation? Or the histories of Chinese communities and other migrants who arrived in the 1800s? By focusing narrowly on European settlers as the main actors, these museums present a one-sided view of the past and construct an image of New Zealand as a European nation - one that expects others to assimilate. 4. How are the main actors characterised - and how are we meant to feel about them? It's not surprising that museums portray some actors positively and others less so. What's more revealing is how certain individuals are elevated as symbols of the nation and how museums invite us to form personal connections with them. In Te Papa's Gallipoli exhibition, visitors can open drawers and boxes containing soldiers' personal belongings. This intimate activity encourages us to feel close to these figures - not just learning about them, but identifying with them as embodying national qualities: bravery, resilience and a commitment to peace. Historical museum narratives aren't necessarily inaccurate - but, much like historical movies, they are selective. They highlight certain events, actors and cause-and-effect chains to tell a particular kind of story. Often, that story supports a specific idea of what it means to be an Aotearoa New Zealander. By reading museum exhibitions with a critical eye, visitors can better understand not just the past, but how storytelling shapes national identity in the present - and imagine how it might be shaped differently. This story was first published on The Conversation .
Scoop
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
The Redaction Action That Sparked A National Reckoning Comes Home
Te Wehi Ratana's story takes centre stage in ration the Queen's veges following a theatrical act of redaction, resistance, and reclamation, playing to Circa Theatre, Wellington from 16 August – 13 September. Following its 2025 premiere at Te Pou Theatre in Tāmaki Makaurau as part of the Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival, the production comes home to the whenua where the story was born. Co-written with director Tainui Tukiwaho this uplifting one-man play is inspired by true events and shares the remarkable experience of Te Wehi Ratana's time in Rimutaka Prison. Part courtroom drama, part prison diary, part absurdist kōrero, people can expect a playful and provocative theatrical experience that questions what we hold to be true. In December 2023, Te Papa Tongarewa became ground zero for an act of protest that shook the nation. Tangata Whenua-led, direct action, climate and social justice rōpū Te Waka Hourua painted over the English text of the Treaty of Waitangi exhibition with the now-iconic provocation: 'no. Her Majesty the Queen of England is the alien. ration the Queen's veges.' The action ignited a national reckoning — sparking outrage, admiration, discomfort, and kōrero across the motu. All involved faced charges, only Te Wehi Ratana was held in Rimutaka Prison. This is the story of his 48 hours behind bars. Locked in a cell with his new mate Brian, Ratana discovered the true currency of incarceration: conversation… And lozzies. Nicotine Lozenges (or lozzies) became a bartering tool for stories. Inmates offered their thoughts — unfiltered and raw — on the Treaty, the Te Papa artivism, the Crown, and colonisation. What began as small talk soon gave way to confessions, kōrero, and hopes and dreams for the future. Ratana began collecting those reflections — written down in letters from the inmates. The voices that emerged were nuanced, poetic, conflicted, and deeply human. ration the Queen's veges is built on those voices. 'You think you know who's inside prison. But when you're in there, and you really listen, you realise: these are some of the most honest voices in the country. And they rarely get heard.' – Te Wehi Ratana Performed by the accomplished Ngahiriwa Rauhina (Ngāti Whakaue, Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Raukawa), ration the Queen's veges gives shape to the people and stories Ratana met behind bars — some true, some not. From his cellmates' surprising tenderness to the fierce loyalty of the inmates in Block C, Rauhina shapeshifts through a dozen characters with humour, purpose and emotional precision. The play premiered to acclaim at Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival in 2025. Critics said: 'A powerful and necessary amplification of the quieter voices of rebellion in our society.' – Art Murmurs "A true story told with charm, clarity and honesty. Totally recommended." — Theatreview Tukiwaho says the play illustrates the impact political action can have on those who are normally shunned in our society. 'Te Wehi found a safe space for inmates to express and share their feelings through ingenuity and genuine connection. ration the Queen's veges is a story about the quiet voice of defiance that still burns within us even when we are silenced.' It is particularly significant that ration the Queen's veges now arrives in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, 100 metres from where the protest took place, where Te Wehi was charged and convicted, and where the original spray-painted panel has since been removed. In April 2024, Te Papa installed a new Treaty display — a more curated response that includes video explanations and signage referencing the protest. But the original panel? It's in storage. Its future is unclear. Meanwhile, Ratana with Te Pou Theatre, is not done telling his story… CREATIVE TEAM Kaiwhakaari / Performer – Ngahiriwa Rauhina Writers / Kaituhi – Te Wehi Ratana & Tainui Tukiwaho Director / Ringatohu – Tainui Tukiwaho Stage Manager & Voice Artist – Roy Iro Lighting Design, AV Design & Production Manager – Jane Hakaraia Sound Design – Connor Magatogia Set, Costume & Props – Nicole Marsh AV Support – Bekky Boyce Operator – Marshall Rankin Produced by Te Pou Theatre and Productions SEASON DETAILS Venue: Circa Two, Circa Theatre, Wellington Early Bird Tickets: 19 June – 3 July 2025 Preview Night: Friday 15 August Season dates: 16 Aug - 13 Sept Programmed for inclusion in the TAHI - New Zealand Festival of Solo Performance Choose Your Price Night: Tuesday 19 August Audio Described Performance is at 4.30pm Sunday 7th September Sunday Special Tickets: 4.30pm Sunday 17 September, tickets are $40. Relaxed Performance: 4.30pm, Sunday 24 August. Also, pre-notes are available on request. Q&A Session: Sunday 17 Aug following the 4.30pm performance Relaxed Performance: Sunday 24 August Tickets: $30–$60 at Runtime: 50 mins (no interval) Content Note: Contains coarse language and themes related to incarceration and protest. Tainui Tukiwaho is an experienced theatre maker having worked professionally in te ao whakaari for the past 20 years. He began his career as an actor after graduating from Unitec. Using this skill as a foundation for storytelling, he progressed to directing and writing where – over the past 10 years – he has built a sizable resume. Tainui observed a lack of Māori voices on our professional stages and quickly adopted and implemented a distinctive style and perspective representative of his cultural background. With this voice he has written, adapted and translated many plays, including Peter, Paka, Paratene, E kore a muri e hokia, Hoki Mai, Tama ma, Larger than life, Te Awarua and the international sell-out festival show Black Ties. Ngahiriwa Rauhina (Ngāti Whakaue, Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Raukawa) is a multidisciplinary artist whose career spans over two decades in Aotearoa's performing arts landscape. Raised in the healing waters of Whakarewarewa beneath the watchful eye of Tarawera Maunga, Ngahiriwa carries his Te Arawa whakapapa into every role—whether acting, directing, producing, or mentoring. He has worked across stage and screen, collaborating with some of the country's leading creatives, including recent roles in The Visitors, He Kōni Ahi, and Shortland Street. Passionate about elevating Te Ao Māori through storytelling, Ngahiriwa is also a devoted father and partner, committed to building platforms for future generations of Māori artists. Stage Manager and voice artist (off-stage actor) Roy Iro (Rarotonga, Aitutaki, Manahiki, Rakahanga, Tongareva) Roy Iro is an award-winning writer and actor from West Auckland, New Zealand, of Cook Islands descent. He graduated from Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in 2021, Iro co-created and performed in FLAMES: A Hip-Hop Musical, earning the 2021 Wellington Fringe Parkin Development Award and earning Best Supporting Actor for the short film In The Depths (2021). Iro's screen credits include appearances in the television series "Wellington Paranormal" (2022) and Time Bandits (2024).In 2023, Iro was selected for the Q Theatre Residency Programme and Playmarket's Brown Ink residency (2023), providing him with the opportunity to develop new theatrical works and further hone his craft.
