Nau mai ki te pānui
o Ngā Taonga
Welcome to our newsletter In this issue we are proud to announce the completion of Utaina, one of
the largest audiovisual digitisation projects in the world. We reflect on a
visit to Te Wānanga o Raukawa, where our staff shared taonga from the
collection. We also share two personal records from the 1940s, one being a Guy
Fawkes celebration with a rather intense effigy and the other a night at the
theatre with The Great Franquin, the hypnotist with the ‘Million Dollar Mind’. Plus, our Annual Report for 2024 - 2025 is out now. Utaina, one of the largest audiovisual digitisation projects in the
world and the largest in New Zealand to date, has concluded. Over 400,000 items
from the collections held by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, the National
Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa and Archives New Zealand
Te Rua Mahara o te Kawanatanga have been preserved for generations to come.
The crown-funded multi-year project was a race against time to safeguard
precious analogue audiovisual materials that were at imminent risk of
deterioration and obsolescence. Members of the culture, heritage, broadcast
& producer communities gathered to formally celebrate and close the Utaina
project on 16 October at the National Library in Wellington.
“Utaina has guaranteed that precious audiovisual taonga will be here for
future generations to enjoy. I’m incredibly proud of the mahi our staff
contributed to Utaina as well as that of our partners on the project. I also acknowledge the skills and dedication
of the production crews who made the content in the first place,” said Honiana
Love, Tumu Whakarae Chief Executive of Ngā Taonga.
2024 - 2025 was a big year for Ngā Taonga, and last week we released our
Annual Report covering the period. The report is now available to download on
our website. The Great Franquin, AKA Francis Quinn, was a New Zealand-born stage
hypnotist who took his
act around the country in 1949. In this very polished personal recording,
cine club member RT Woollams captured Franquin’s otherworldly talents at the
Palmerston North Opera House.
We wish a safe Guy Fawkes Day this week to all who celebrate. This
1949 home movie by Len Southward captures a family building an effigy and
carefully dressing it in old clothes before the kids wheel it off to its fiery
doom. Te Wānanga o Raukawa “Mai i Waitapu ki Rangataua,
mai i Mīria te Kakara ki Whitireia, whakawhiti atu i te moana o Raukawa ki
Wairau, ki Whakatū.”
Earlier this month, our outreach team had the
privilege of sharing taonga with staff and students at Te Wānanga o Raukawa, in
celebration of the 50th anniversary of Whakatupuranga
Rua Mano (Generation 2000). This visionary development programme was
founded to revitalise tribal ties, mātauranga, and te reo Māori. Despite the gloomy weather, the warmth and
joy in the room were unmistakable. Smiles lit up the space as attendees
recognised familiar faces and places in the taonga: “Oh, there’s aunty
so-and-so!”, “Aww, look at the old hall!”, “Auē, look at what so-and-so is
wearing!” These heartfelt reactions reflected deep appreciation and pride,
especially from those raised within the kaupapa of Whakatupuranga Rua Mano. We extend our sincere thanks to mana whenua –
Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Raukawa, and Ngāti Toa Rangatira (A.R.T) – and to Te Wānanga o
Raukawa for allowing us to share these treasured taonga, stories, and memories
of those who were instrumental in supporting the kaupapa from its inception. Image credits
1. Utaina closing event photos by Troy Coutts 2. Annual Report 2024-2025 cover image 3. Screenshot from F30625 PERSONAL RECORD. WOOLLAMS, RT. THE
GREAT FRANQUIN. THE SENSATIONAL HYPNOTIST 4. Screenshot from F99459 PERSONAL RECORD. SOUTHWARD, LEN. GUY
FAWKES, CRACKER JACK, LAUNCHING OF TRIGGER, TAUPO 1/1950 5. Te Wānanga o Raukawa photos by Lady
Kataraina Pokai |
