Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

06/10/2026

Nā Irakewa te kōrero ki āna tamariki i te wehenga o te waka o Mataatua i Hawaiiki:

'Ka tae koutou ki te whenua hou ki te rāwhiti, kei korā tētahi pari teitei kei te hounga o te wahapū. Hangā he kāinga mō koutou i konā, kāore e tawhiti rawa he ana kōhatu mō ō koutou tuahine, mō Muriwai...'

During Easter, 1986, many descendants of Mataatua waka gathered at Whitiora marae in Te Tii for the first time since the waka left the Whakatāne district and headed north, many many years ago.

In this recently uploaded taonga, Mataatua Canoe Offspring, we learn about the ancestors who came to Aotearoa upon the waka, their descendants, and the connection between the tribes of the Eastern Bay of Plenty and Ngāpuhi.

He pakipūmeka e kōrerotia ana te whakatere mai o te waka tūpuna ko Mataatua mai Hawaiki ki Whakatāne ka tae atu ki Tākou. Ka tū he wānanga i waenga i ngā iwi e rua, ara ko Ngāti Awa mai i …

23/09/2026

E kore e ngaro, he takere waka nui.

We will never be lost; we are the hull of a great canoe.

This whakataukī demonstrates the great strength of the ancient sea voyager Kupe who discovered Aotearoa, New Zealand, in the deep South Pacific Ocean – Te Moana nui a-Kiwa.

22/09/2026

Want to know what the new Bird of the Year sounds like? From the extensive collection of bird call recordings that Ngā Taonga cares for, here is the Karure Chatham Island Black Robin.

(Yes, we have a bird call collection).

🎧 by Les McPherson.
📸 by Oscar Thomas.
Forest & Bird

21/09/2026

📩 In our latest newsletter – Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, springtime, Whittaker’s chocolate, and the 1937 discovery of moa remains. Link in the comments 💬

📸: Thumbnail image from Waka Huia - Tupuranga - Part One (2000). Collection ref. TZP227533.

17/09/2026

🌺 Hastings Blossom Festival 🌺

With springtime finally here, some of the country's iconic blossom festivals are taking place. Tomorrow (19 September) the Hawke's Bay community will once again come together to celebrate in style and welcome spring with a tradition lasting more than 75 years 🙌

This short film from the collection features vibrant scenes of floats beautifully decorated with flowers parading through Hastings in 1955.

The annual Greater Hastings Blossom Festival through the main street of Hastings. Heavily decorated floats include the Watties float with a decorated giant peach can and princess, cowboys with horse and wagons, a Ford Zephyr covered in blossoms and a …

13/09/2026

Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori 🙌

In celebration of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, we reflect on communities who have kept the embers burning and continued to nurture the flame of te reo Māori through generations.

He hokinga mahara, he koanga ngākau ki te tau 2000, te mano tau i tūmanakohia ai e ngā iwi e toru, a Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, a Ngāti Toa Rangatira, rātou ko Te Āti Awa, i ngā 25 tau ki muri.

In 1975, Whakatupuranga Rua Mano, a 25-year tribal development plan was launched by three local tribes, Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Ngāti Toa Rangatira and Te Āti Awa. It aimed to revitalise and prevent the decline of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori among their people.

Fifty years on, the vision of Whakatupuranga Rua Mano continues to inspire people across the motu. We look back on this time in celebration of what was achieved and what is to come - ake, ake, ake!

08/09/2026

It's beginning to feel a lot like springtime 🎶🌞🌷🌺🐥🐑

Thumbnail image from 'Spring', Personal Record, Rupert Parr (1967). Follow the link in the comments to watch the full film.

02/09/2026

Tuia ki runga

Tuia ki raro

Tuia ki te pou herenga tangata o te motu

Kia kōtuia ngā muka maunga o te whaitua ki runga ki te marae o te motu

Ki Te Koroneihana o Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po.

Today we acknowledge the coronation of the Māori Queen Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po, and this significant moment for the Kīngitanga movement and te ao Māori.

As we share this curated collection featuring audio archives of waiata, haka, kaikōrero, and moments from our past, we also extend our warmest regards to Te Arikinui, honouring this significant moment and wishing her strength and every success as she carries forward the legacy of Kīngitanga into the future.

Rire rire hau Pai Mārire.

Ngā Taonga Kōrero is a collection of the oldest te reo recordings in our care, with waiata and haka performances.

31/08/2026

📩 In our latest newsletter – Ready Steady Cook, Nambassa Festival, Koroneihana, and the DSIR. Link in the comments ⬇

📸 Opening ceremony for Turongo House at Turangawaewae Marae, Ngaruawahia, Waikato, 1938. The Dominion Post Collection, Alexander Turnbull Library.

31/08/2026

100 years ago today, the New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) was established, with the purpose of fostering scientific research beneficial to the country. While the DSIR was disestablished in 1992, the legacy of Crown-funded research continues today in the form of four Public Research Organisations (PROs), covering earth science, bioeconomic science, public health and forensic science, and advanced technologies.

On the Ngā Taonga website is a 1984 RNZ record of DSIR research scientist, David Lowe, talking about the global consequences of a nuclear explosion - one of the many topics the DSIR researched over the decades.