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o Ngā Taonga
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In this issue we mark the 75th anniversary of Te Ropu Wahine Maori Toko i te Ora Maori Women's Welfare League with a handover of their audiovisual taonga. We also celebrate the 40th anniversary of a classic tune, share a case study on the carbon footprint of digital archiving, and invite woman filmmakers to an upcoming event in Wellington. 

The Māori Women's Welfare League collection

Last Friday, Honiana Love, Tumu Whakarae Chief Executive of Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, attended the Te Ropu Wahine Māori Toko i te Ora Māori Women's Welfare League Annual General Meeting to celebrate their 75th anniversary.

As part of the celebration, a special compilation of taonga was presented, highlighting the legacy of these wāhine and the work of a group dedicated to empowering Māori women throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.

This was followed by a formal handover of the recently preserved League collection that we hold on their behalf, marking a shared commitment to ensuring the League’s history, stories, and contributions live on for future generations.

E kīia nei te kōrero - TATAU, TATAU.

"Slice of Heaven" turns 40

One of New Zealand’s favourite pop songs, “Slice of Heaven” by Dave Dobbyn and Herbs, hit the charts 40 years ago this month. The single was created for the movie Footrot Flats: The Dog’s Tale, and quickly became a phenomenon in its own right, spending eight weeks at the top of the music charts and gracing countless ‘Best of’ rankings since. Revisit the charming video at the button below.

A carbon footprint case study

This year a specialist group of Ngā Taonga kaimahi, led by our Strategic Advisor - Archiving Pou Rautaki Pūranga Kate Roberts, tested a new Carbon Calculation Toolkit created by the Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC). The tool is designed to measure the environmental impacts of digital archiving, so they can be understood and mitigated. The resulting case study was recently published on the DPC website, where it is free to access.

WIFT event: Understanding the Archive

Ngā Taonga Tumu Whakarae Chief Executive Honiana Love will deliver a session at a Women in Film and Television (WIFT) event on October 21 at Wellington’s Wētā Workshop. Moderated by Robin Laing, the session will help film and television professionals understand how to make sure their film materials are preserved and archived properly, so their work stays discoverable for generations to come. Tickets are free for WIFT members or $20 for general admission. Full booking details can be found below.

News briefs

• Three subject matter experts from Ngā Taonga are presenting at next month’s National Digital Forum conference.
• Govett-Brewster Art Gallery | Len Lye Centre announces a new exhibition of Len Lye films.
• Manatū Taonga has released its Annual Report. See pages 21 – 22 for a Ngā Taonga case study. 

1. Composite of Māori Women's Welfare League logo and their audiovisual taonga in storage at Ngā Taonga. 

2. Screengrab from F29192, Dave Dobbyn with Herbs. "Slice of Heaven".

3. Shelves of magnetic media in storage at Ngā Taonga. Photo by Troy Coutts.

4. Honiana Love.