Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

14/06/2026

'Ki runga o Tarawera ka tātai poko, kahuwaia, kahuwaia ka reretia.'

This month we commemorate 140 years since the eruption of Mount Tarawera in the rohe of Te Arawa. On our website, Mātauranga Māori Outreach Advisor Paora Sweeney, a descendant of the Rangitihi people of Te Arawa, explores audio relating to the eruption, the once thriving tourism economy of Te Wairoa, and the profound impact the event has had on the region. He also shares the story of Tūhoto Ariki, one of the last great tohunga of the old world, whose life and legacy remain intertwined with the history of the Tarawera eruption.

Koia nei he whakapapa korero he whenua kura o Rangitihi upoko whakahirahira. He kaponga korero kia hoki mahara ki te pahū i utaina ki nga waru Pumanawa o Te Arawa.

Read and listen here: https://bit.ly/3KHCzYY
Image: Mount Tarawera in Eruption, June 10, 1886, by Charles Blomfield.

Through archival recordings, one of our Te Arawa staff learned about the history of his iwi and how the devastating eruption of Mt Tarawera affected his people.

11/06/2026

[Update: audio playback on the website is working again]

🔇 A network outage is currently impacting audio playback on the Ngā Taonga website. We expect it to be restored and fully operational by Monday 15 June.

We apologise for any inconvenience.

10/06/2026

Our latest newsletter is live! Featuring a new set of regional Māori dialect recordings from Te Tai Tokerau Northland and a longer version of one of New Zealand's oldest films. Read it here:

https://bit.ly/4e0nLnR

09/06/2026

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 a brand-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.

Explore the new section on the Ngā Taonga website now: https://bit.ly/4uI1pNf

04/06/2026

He kura tangihia, he maimai aroha – Ahorangi Whatarangi Winiata

Ko te Kupenga a Taramainuku e tautau ana i te rirohanga o ēnei iho pūmanawa i ngā rangi tata nei.

Te ao Māori mourns yet another with the passing of Professor Whatarangi Winiata (Ngāti Raukawa).

A humble servant of his people, Professor Whatarangi Winiata devoted his life to the revitalisation of te reo Māori and the restoration of mātauranga Māori. As the visionary behind Whakatupuranga Rua Mano and a founder of Te Wānanga o Raukawa, he was also a tireless advocate for Māori development, education, and self-determination. His work enriched countless lives, and his gentle wisdom will endure for generations to come.

Listen, as he speaks about Te Wānanga o Raukawa. The link to this audio is in the comments.

E te purapura tūāwhiti, e te pou tokomanawa o tō whare, nei te puna o roimata e rere ana. Haere, haere, haere atu rā.

📷: Victoria University of Wellington.

04/06/2026

Te Kahu heritage campus opened recently — now you can visit four New Zealand heritage institutions at one Wellington site:

* National Library of New Zealand - Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa and Alexander Turnbull Library
* Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga
* Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

While you’re at Te Kahu, grab a coffee at the onsite Home Café and have a look in our Te Āmiki gift shop. Enter through the National Library main entrance, 70 Molesworth Street, Wellington 6011.

What are you interested in researching?

Discover our nation’s memory and the taonga cared for at Te Kahu. Your story starts here.

04/06/2026

Tālofa lava and happy Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa – Samoa Language Week! 🌺

A celebration of the language, culture and the people of Samoa.

Ngā Taonga is honoured to care for a significant amount of Pasifika audiovisual material in the collection. Working with our partner Digital Pasifik, we have supplied material and supported screenings featuring taonga such as this outstanding 1925 footage of Samoa.

Views of Apia, its harbour, gardens and the Union Steamship Company’s hotel. [Views of Apia harbour depict shipwrecks which are probably warships hit during 1889 typhoon]. Men climb palms and drop coconuts to the ground, others split the pods and …

03/06/2026

On 3 June, 90 years ago, the legendary rugby player Sir Colin Meads (1936 - 2017) was born. Over the course of his career, Sir Colin played 133 matches for the All Blacks, including 55 tests (four as captain). He was nicknamed 'Pinetree' due to his towering height and physical presence. In 1999, he was declared New Zealand Rugby Player of the Century by Rugby World magazine.

In the online collection is RNZ audio from a formal farewell to Sir Colin at Athletic Park in Wellington as he entered retirement from rugby in 1973. 📎 Link in the comments ⬇️

📸: Alexander Turnbull Library

02/06/2026

He maimai aroha, he kura tangihia – Tā Hirini Moko Mead

E te pou o te ao Māori, e te ihorei o te wānanga, haere atu rā ki te huihuinga o te kahurangi.

Ngā Taonga acknowledges the passing of one of Māoridom’s leading scholars, Tā Hirini Moko Mead. Among the taonga we care for is an interview by Paul Diamond for Ngā Manu Tāiko, an RNZ series on Māori leadership, in which Professor Mead reflects on his upbringing, education, and teaching career, his role in advancing Māori studies and bringing tikanga Māori into universities, his involvement in the landmark Te Māori exhibition, and his commitment to supporting his iwi, Ngāti Awa. Link in the comments ⬇️

E Tā Hīrini, e okioki, moe mārire e te rangatira.

Image credit: Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington.

28/05/2026

Shayne Carter once described the video for "She Speeds" by Straitjacket Fits like this:

'"She Speeds" was made by Johnny Ogilvie. The 'budget' was 250 dollars. I think most of that was spent on hiring a camera crane. Most of the other special effects came courtesy of coloured cellophane, a projector and the band members lying in a bath and being shot from above. I think it was shot on 16mm but there wasn't actually that much film so pretty much every shot had to be right.'

Ngā Taonga can confirm that "She Speeds" was indeed captured on 16mm film! We're proud to care for it along with many other beloved music videos.

The Straitjacket Fits are a New Zealand band notable for their melodic interplay of guitars and vocals combined with muscular, dynamic rock songs. They stood apart from the “jangle guitar pop” associated with the “Dunedin Sound” of most other bands …