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

In this edition, we share an exciting new collaboration with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Archives New Zealand, look back at the debate over homosexual law reform, and send a big thank you to Ōrongomai Marae for hosting our recent training day.

From the Archives - New Zealand Symphony Orchestra

We are excited to be collaborating with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga Archives New Zealand on From the Archives – New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, an online exhibition which will be launched this month.  

The online exhibition on Archives NZ website will document the history and notable achievements of eight decades of the NZSO through images now held by Archives NZ, sound recordings from the RNZ Collection cared for by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, and film from the Archives NZ National Film Unit (NFU) Collection. Many of these have not been seen or heard by the public for decades.    

To celebrate NZSO are offering Ngā Taonga newsletter readers the opportunity to attend their new season opening with a 15% discount for Pictures at an Exhibition in Wellington on the 27^th of March and Christchurch on the 29^th of March.

Use the code NZSO15 when purchasing through Ticketmaster. Offer is only valid for Adult and Concession tickets.  

Thin End of the Wedge

Thin End of the Wedge was compiled by Ngā Taonga in 2016, to mark the 30^th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in New Zealand. Using clips from our archive the programme demonstrates how hard gay activists had to fight against religious and political opposition for law reform. Some viewers may find Thin End of the Wedge difficult to watch. These recordings are a testament to how much has changed in 40 years, and an important piece of New Zealand’s LGBTQIA+ history.  

Annual Ngā Taonga all-staff wānanga

Ko Remutaka te maunga

Ko Te Awakairangi te awa

Ko Rongomai te whare kai

Ko Kahukura te whare tipuna

Ko Ōrongomai te marae.

Mokori ake a Ngā Taonga me te kohikohinga taonga kōrero o Aotearoa i te pai o te wānanga nei, e whai wāhi atu ai mātou ngā kaipupuri tiaki taonga, ki te whakaaroaro ngā mahi, ki te whakapakari, ki te arotake rautaki, ki te kōrero, ki te waiata anō hoki. Kia turukitia ngā honohononga ki tēnā ki tēnā.

We would like to extend a big mihi to the whānau of Ōrongomai Marae for the warm welcome and for opening their whare tipuna kahukura to host the annual Nga Taonga all-staff wānanga.

I hora te manaakitanga, i rangona te tūpore. Me te aha ko te rongomai i whiti, whiti, whitiora e. Tēnei mātou o Ngā Taonga e mihi kau ana ki a koutou ngā uri taura here o Ōrongomai Marae.

News briefs

· “With the Girls Overseas” – the voices of World War II New Zealand nurses is an upcoming Anzac Day talk with sound historian Sarah Johnston, hosted by Ashburton Museum.

· On 14 March, 1980, "I Got You" reached no.1 on the NZ Music charts. The relatively unknown Split Enz were catapulted into national stardom, aided by this music video.

· In honour of St Patrick’s Day, this episode of Spectrum visits the Irish community in Auckland.

1. Archives New Zealand: Wellington Inaugural Concert of the National Orchestra of New Zealand Broadcasting Service, Andersen Tyrer, Conductor and audience, Wellington Town Hall - 6 March 1947. Item Code: R26064254

2. Screenshot from F250535, Thin End of the Wedge, showing Jane Adams.

3. Ngā Taonga staff at Ōrongomai Marae, by Paora Sweeney.