Nau mai ki te pānui
o Ngā Taonga
Welcome to our newsletterIn this edition we share newly available episodes of a radio programme showcasing Italian culture and life in New Zealand. We also acknowledge the 28th anniversary of Te Papa Tongarewa, share a new RNZ podcast, and welcome the onset of autumn. Radio Cartolina was an interview-based radio
programme showcasing Italian culture and life. It aired in
Christchurch from February 2, 1999, to November 29, 2017, on Community
Radio Plains FM 96.9 (now Plains Media).
The programme's title, Cartolina (Italian
for 'postcard'), reflected the casual, friendly style of presentation used
by producer Wilma Giordano Laryn and covered a wide range of topics
related to Italian culture and the Italian community in New Zealand. One
of the most significant being the series of devastating earthquakes that struck
Christchurch and the subsequent
rebuild of the city. Cartolina was produced under the patronage
of the Christchurch Dante Alighieri Society and received sponsorship from
the Italian Embassy to New Zealand and the Christchurch City Council. Additional support
came from local businesses, donations and fundraising.
In 2025, Ngā Taonga accepted the deposit of 200 (out
of approximately 500) Cartolina episodes. The episodes were jointly
selected by the producer and Collection Archivists for their value
as a record of nearly twenty years of life in Christchurch
and New Zealand as experienced by the Italian community. These episodes
are available online now.
On 14 February 1998, hundreds of people gathered on the
Wellington waterfront for the opening of the national museum of New Zealand, Te
Papa Tongarewa.
In the online collection is an interview between Hēnare te
Ua and Dr Cliff Whiting, where Whiting speaks of the symbolism displayed that day.
Whiting explains that the gathering of many variations of waka, including the
waka hourua Te Aurere, waka taua and waka ama, represents whakapapa, migration,
and identity. He compares the voyages of our ancestors from Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa
to Aotearoa, to the arrival of the many waka at Te Papa Tongarewa – reinforcing
the idea of journey, discovery, and belonging.
From a Māori perspective,
the opening of Te Papa Tongarewa was not simply the unveiling of a national
museum, but rather a moment that honoured and acknowledged the history of
tangata whenua, helping to reconnect our shared past with the present day.RNZ recently launched a new limited series podcast, Pūtātara:
Revolutions in Māori Art, which Ngā Taonga were pleased to supply archival
material for. Hosted by Matariki Williams, Pūtātara dives into the
sociopolitical context around which Māori art has evolved and revolved –
opening with the first Ngā Puna Waihanga hui in Te Kaha in 1973, to Te Māori
opening at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1984, and right through to today.
The first episode is
available online now.With
February being the last official month of summer in New Zealand and with autumn
about to set in, we’re sharing a filmed recording of David Hamilton’s “The Ripe
Breath of Autumn”, featuring the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra to mark the
change in season. The item was produced by SOUNZ and RNZ and recorded in June
2020 at the Auckland Town Hall. News briefsIMAGE CREDITS
1) Cartolina programme maker Wilma Laryn, with publisher Peter Dowling and authors Jill and Stefano Fusi. 2) Image of Te Papa museum. Creative Commons. 3) Promotion image for Pūtātara: Revolutions in Māori Art podcast. 4) Thumbnail image from THE RIPE BREATH OF AUTUMN BY DAVID HAMILTON. AUCKLAND TOWN HALL, 11/06/2020. Collection ref. F329713. |
