Significant taonga Maori loan to Rotorua Museum

Auckland Museum Trust Board has approved the loan of 13 significant taonga Maori to the people of Rotorua.

The objects representing a significant part of Te Arawa traditions and history will be part of the new $22 million extension and redevelopment of Rotorua Museum.

Auckland Museum interim director Sir Don McKinnon says the new galleries will tell the great stories of Te Arawa and the Rotorua region.

“This loan has been the result of months of discussions with kaumatua of Te Arawa and Rotorua Museum. It represents an ongoing legacy of special relationships and ties between the people of Te Arawa and Auckland Museum for over 120 years.”

Sir Don says one of the taonga, a pataka (food storage house) named ‘Te Oha’, will be a once in a generation opportunity for research, conservation and education.

“The dismantling process and reconstruction will be very exciting. The house is made up of many small and large individually carved and uncarved pieces interlocked and lashed in a traditional manner. The house has incorporated pieces of a canoe left by adversaries making the prospect of dismantling and re-construction a challenging and interesting exercise.”

Rotorua Museum director Greg McManus says Auckland Museum’s decision to loan the historic taonga to Rotorua will be welcomed by the community.

“The loan of 13 significant taonga, many of which have not been seen here for over a century, is indeed visionary and recognition of the special relationship that has existed between Te Arawa and Auckland Museum since the nineteenth century.”

He says everyone involved with negotiations over the past few months have been extremely impressed with the spirit of cooperation and respect shown by the board and management of Auckland Museum throughout the process.

“There is no doubt that these loans will be a major boost to Rotorua Museum as it continues to develop as a major cultural institution in its own right," says Mr McManus.

The range of objects being loaned include a gateway which was located at Lake Okataina and partially buried by the Tarawera eruption, an adze associated with the construction of the Te Arawa waka, a small stone tool carving that is said to be a lone survivor from Mokoia Island following the arrival of Hongi Hika in 1823, parts of a fully carved meeting house named Rangitihi, two waka huia (treasure boxes), a bird perch and a mere pounamu (greenstone mere).