Nau mai ki te pānui
o Ngā Taonga
Welcome to our newsletterIn this issue,
we’re proud to share the latest addition to our curated collection on Māori regional
dialects, He Reo Rongomaiwhiti. Reo Māori learners and the simply
curious can now listen to recordings from Te Tai Tokerau Northland, which add
to our historical understanding of how te reo has evolved. We also have a full-length
preservation of one of New Zealand’s oldest surviving short films, and we’ve
updated a popular story about road safety films to include the beloved Ghost
Chips ad. E pari ana ngā tai o mihi ki Te Hiku o Te Ika, ki ngā uri whakaheke a
Rāhiri, a Waimirirangi – Te Kuini-o-Te-Tai-Tokerau, tēnā rā koutou katoa.
Discover the unique Māori dialects of Te Tai Tokerau Northland in an
all-new section of the curated collection He Reo Rongomaiwhiti – Our
Ancestors’ Voices.
Created in partnership with Tātai Aho Rau Core Education, He Reo
Rongomaiwhiti – Our Ancestors’ Voices draws on historic audiovisual
archival material in the care of Ngā Taonga to illustrate the diversity of
Māori dialects across Aotearoa and how they differ from region to region.
Toro atu ki te wharangi pae ipurangi o Ngā Taonga hei whakarongo ki ngā reo kōhure o Te Rarawa, o Ngāpuhi, o Ngāti Kuri e ora tonu ana. Royal Visit of
the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York to New Zealand (1901) is one of this country’s very oldest
surviving films. It is also one of the most highly requested films held by Ngā
Taonga, a taonga for historians and filmmakers that gives a beautifully clear,
if fragmented, view of people and places as they were 125 years ago.
Until last month,
Ngā Taonga was only able to share a two-minute excerpt of the digitally
preserved film on our website, but we’re delighted to announce that the entire
surviving film is now publicly available. Approximately 15 minutes of
exceptionally rare footage, preserved by us in 2016, are now free to watch at
the link below.
The film was commissioned by the New Zealand
Government and shot by the Salvation Army’s Limelight Department. As the future King and Queen
of England tour landmarks from Rotorua to Dunedin, we also see tightly
choreographed haka and poi performances, soldiers on horseback, dignitaries in splendid
kahu huruhuru, and hundreds of ordinary people wearing their finest turn-of-the-century
clothes.
On the 13th of June, whānau, friends and supporters will swarm central
Wellington in haste to support and cheer on their favourite groups who are set
to take part in the Wellington Senior Kapa Haka Regional Competitions that have
been running for over 50 years.
The following taonga reminds us of the rich history, growth and development from which kapa haka has emerged in the Te Whanganui-a-Tara region. You'll hear the
sweet melodious voices of Māwai Hakona and the heartfelt inspiring messages
from our hāhi groups such as The Wellington Anglican Club.
Take a walk with us down memory lane in the realm of kapa haka for Te
Whanganui-a-Tara!
In 2021 we
published a popular story about the art of the road safety film, starting with several
1950s productions by Pacific Films that are now in our care. Five years on we
were inspired to update the story, adding a more recent favourite and making it
easier to navigate between the videos on the page. News briefs - The Ngā Taonga 2025 Annual Report was nominated for a Chartered Accountants
ANZ For Purpose Reporting Award, which recognises excellence in not-for-profit
reporting.
- Our friends at NZ On Screen have relaunched their website. It’s still
free to watch a huge variety of TV shows, and you can also rent hard-to-find
New Zealand films through their new streaming service.
IMAGE CREDITS:
1. Children learning te reo Māori at the summer programme 1983, Tapuaka – Heritage & Archive Collections, ref: VUVCP0293.Part of the Tapuaka Heritage & Archive Collections - JC Beaglehole Reading Room, Victoria University of Wellington Library Repository
2. Frame from F2464, ROYAL VISIT OF THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF CORNWALL AND YORK TO NEW ZEALAND 1901. Ngā Taonga collection.
3. Māwai Hakona 1977; Gisborne competitions 3. Upper Hutt Libraries, https://uhcl.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/19728.
4. Screengrab from F283365, NZ Transport Authority. Ghost Chips. Ngā Taonga collection.
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