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o Ngā Taonga
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In this edition we celebrate NZ Music Month and report back from National Digital Forum 2025. We also mark the centenary of the passing of former Prime Minister William Massey and look forward to the Aotearoa Music Awards which is celebrating its 60th year.

NZ Music Month

It’s Te Marama Puoro o Aotearoa New Zealand Music Month, so we’re sharing Playback – our online curated collection of music videos.

Playback features great New Zealand music videos from the 1960s through to the early 2000s.

National Digital Forum

Earlier in May, some of our kaimahi had the pleasure of attending the National Digital Forum (NDF), where members of the cultural sector gathered to hear thought leaders share their knowledge. We witnessed some amazing digital projects and new ways of giving audiences access to the special heritage taonga that many of us care for.

We were also excited to have our Director of Utaina, Kate Roberts, share — alongside Louise McCrone from Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga Archives New Zealand and Jessica Moran from Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa National Library of New Zealand — about the mass-digitisation of Crown material through the Utaina project.

It was an inspiring couple of days!

100 years since passing of former PM William Massey

May 10 marked the 100th anniversary since the passing of William Ferguson Massey, who served as New Zealand Prime Minister from 1912 – 1925 and led the country during World War I.

Aotearoa Music Awards

Later this month we will also be celebrating the best in NZ Music at the Aotearoa Music Awards. 2025 marks the 60^th anniversary of the awards.

Ngā Taonga extends a huge mihi to congratulate all the artists, musicians, bands, kaitito-waiata/songwriters, and all the finalists at this year's award ceremony.

Hei whakanui i ngā reo waiata kua eke ki ngā whiringa toa i roto ngā Tohu Pūoro o Aotearoa, he taonga whitiāhua tēnei no roto mai i Te Pataka kōrero. Ka hoki whakamuri ki te tau 1998, ki te kai waiata rongonui nō Ngāti Kahungunu a Bic Runga, nōna i whakaihuwaka i taua wā rā.

Bic Runga cleaned up at the 1998 NZ Music Awards winning: Album of the Year (Drive), Single of the Year ("Sway"), Best Female Vocalist and Best Songwriter ("Sway").

Tēnei te aumihi ki a koutou ngā korokoro tuī, ngā mātanga whakatangi pūoro ngā ringa waihanga i ngā oro pārekareka o te wā, o te tau, o te marama.

News briefs

• The Wairarapa Film Festival’s Autumn Programme starts tomorrow and runs until Sunday. Ngā Taonga kaimahi will be introducing Barry Barclay’s The Neglected Miracle (1985) at two screenings. The film was recently preserved by Ngā Taonga.

• Anzac Day Sonic – RNZ Concert host Bryan Crump recently dug into the Ngā Taonga archive, as well as the station’s record collection, to create a commemoration of Anzac Day.

• Tusalava, the 1929 short film by Len Lye, is featured in Anemic Cinema, an upcoming showcase by music ensemble Stroma. Ngā Taonga is proud to care for Tusalava and other Len Lye films.

IMAGE CREDITS

1) Playback curated collection hero image from the Ngā Taonga website.

2) Kaimahi photo from the National Digital Forum (NDF) 2025.

3) Thumbnail image from THE STATE FUNERAL OF THE LATE RIGHT HON. W.F. MASSEY P.C. PRIME MINISTER OF NEW ZEALAND. Collection ref. F3307.

4) Thumbnail image from BIC RUNGA. SWAY. Collection ref. F32557.