Nau mai ki te pānui
o Ngā Taonga
Welcome to our newsletter

In this edition we share our latest curated collection which explores queer histories in New Zealand, and introduce the start of a new collection management project. We also share a new Dawn Raids resource available on the NZ History website and a film about retracing the steps of legendary Polynesian navigator, Kupe.

Queer Histories Found in the Archive

Queer Histories Found in the Archive is our new curated collection of LGBTQIA+ audiovisual material cared for by Ngā Taonga, spanning from the early 20th century through to Homosexual Law Reform in 1986. It includes items from the TV and radio collections that have not been available online before, along with some amazing photos from other heritage organisations, and provides some historical context to homosexual decriminalisation, thanks to advice from subject matter experts at Kawe Mahara and Pride NZ.

Under the section Hidden Queer Identities we look at New Zealanders who were in same sex relationships, but either concealed or stopped just short of naming them. Early Queer Organising Through to Law Reform tracks the long legal path to decriminalisation; and Transgender Identities in the 1970s contains some remarkable early TV and radio appearances by openly trans women. Like several of our other curated collections, Queer Histories is intended to grow over the years as more historical recordings become available.

Explore the collection

Te Wharau – managing the collection in our care

A significant collection management project, Te Wharau, has begun. The project’s key objective is to increase the percentage of the Ngā Taonga collection held in storage conditions appropriate for its format, while minimising ongoing property and storage costs.

Ngā Taonga has entered into a three-year lease for a commercial building, also named Te Wharau, where we will undertake reappraisal of a portion of the analogue collection against our collection prioritisation model.

The project will inform decisions about our future storage needs, including opportunities to reduce our physical footprint and invest more in digital infrastructure to increase access to the collection.

This project supports us delivering on our responsibility as Aotearoa New Zealand's audiovisual archive, managing a collection of national significance.

New Dawn Raids resource published

Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage has announced the release of a new online resource which shares stories, videos and personal accounts about the Dawn Raids. Hosted on the NZ History website, Understanding Dawn Raids features over 200 resources of various formats and perspectives, giving New Zealanders new ways to engage with this important chapter in our history.

Ngā Taonga were pleased to supply archival material for this valuable historical resource.

Explore now

Collection highlight – Kupe: Voyaging by the Stars

'E kore e ngaro, he takere waka nui'.

This whakatauki demonstrates the great strength of the ancient sea voyager Kupe, who discovered Aotearoa New Zealand in the deep South Pacific Ocean - Te Moana nui a-Kiwa.

Tā Hekenukumai Busby from Ngāti Kahu and Te Rārawa, a master carver among many things, was instrumental in the revival of the celestial navigation skills and knowledge of our tīpuna. Inspired by the voyagers of the Hokule'a, in 1991, Tā Hekenukumai builds his own double-hulled waka Te Aurere and voyages the sea in the same pathway that Kupe took 1000 years earlier.

Kupe: Voyaging by the Stars – a journey of dedication and resurgence to reviving ancestral knowledge of reading the taiao and navigating the great sea of Kiwa. Mātakitaki mai!

Watch now

He kura tangihia, he maimai aroha – Leo Koziol

Ka tanuku, ka tanuku

Ka tanuku te tihi o Moumoukai

Ueue ko te rangi, ueue ko te whenua

Ueue ana ko ngā ngākau o te takimano i whai wāhi atu ai ki a koe

E te manukura o Tākitimu waka, haere ki ō tīpuna o te pō

Ngā Taonga was saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Leo Koziol. Through his leadership of the Wairoa Māori Film Festival, Leo made a significant contribution to the promotion and celebration of Māori film and storytelling. We extend our condolences to his whānau.

E te uri o Ngāti Rākaipaaka, o Ngāti Kahungunu

Ahakoa tō reo kua ngū i tēnei rā

Ko tō momo ka mau tonu ki te puna o mahara, ki te whatumanawa

Moe mai, moe mai, moe mai rā