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o Ngā Taonga
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In this issue we share a first-hand account of the Wahine disaster, feel nostalgic about the Dulux dog, and mark the anniversary of the launch of Whakaata Māori (formerly Māori Television), whose collections we care for.

Anniversary of the Wahine disaster

The tragic sinking of the Lyttelton–Wellington ferry Wahine took place on 10 April 1968. Over 50 people lost their lives, making it New Zealand’s worst maritime disaster. The sinking of the Wahine was also a significant national broadcasting event, as coverage of the tragedy was witnessed throughout living rooms of Aotearoa New Zealand as it happened. Today, audiovisual recordings of the Wahine disaster and its aftermath are in archives and museum collections throughout the country.

In this recording, survivor Graham Wilson describes his gruelling experience.

NZSO exhibition on now

The online exhibition From the Archives – New Zealand Symphony Orchestra is now live. It is a collaboration between the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga Archives New Zealand and Ngā Taonga and documents the history of the NZSO through images, audio and film – many of which have not been seen or heard by the public for decades. The concert performance audio recordings in this online exhibition are from the RNZ collection cared for by Ngā Taonga.

Collection highlight – the Dulux dog

What's more interesting that watching paint dry? Watching classic Dulux TV ads starring the shaggy Dulux Old English Sheepdog. We have a few of these treasures in the online collection, including this one that features a dramatic cat vs. dog chase scene.

Whakaata Māori and Koha

Neke atu i te 20 tau a Whakaata Māori e hāpai ana i tēnei hongere pouaka whakaata. I whakarewahia i te tau 2004, nā ngā hautupua o tāua wā tonu. I nanaiore ai rātou ki ngā ikeiketanga o te ao pāpāho, ka puta ko ngā pakiwaitara a te Māori, me ngā korero ā-iwi ki te ao. Ā, ko Koha tērā – he taonga nā Ray Waru i whakatuwhera, e hora atu ai te ao Maori, ngā kōrero, ngā tikanga, me ngā take nui o te wā ki a aurakitia ai e Te Reo Tātaki!

Today we celebrate 20+ years since Whakaata Māori launched back in 2004. Here we get to look at the first Māori televised programme directed by Ray Waru, Koha – a groundbreaking TV show that brought te ao Māori to mainstream screens in the late 1970s and 80s. It paved the way for Māori storytelling, language, and culture on television. 

News briefs

• RNZ Concert’s Three to Seven with Bryan Crump takes a tour around the NZSO’s new online exhibition.
• The Ministry for Culture and Heritage have recently released economic data about our cultural sector.
  
• A time capsule has been unexpectedly discovered on the Parliament Grounds, containing Radio New Zealand audio content from the 1970s to the 1990s.

  
  

1. 'The Wahine's number four lifeboat, which was hand-propelled for most of the way, surges on to Seatoun Beach.' Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand Electronic Text Collection. Creative Commons license. 

2. 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

3. Screenshot from F292158, ICI. DULUX WASH & WEAR. CAT & DOG

4. Screenshot from TZP7914, Koha - Otago Marae. Merata Mita interviews George Ellison.