Ngāti Whāwhākia Taonga Gifting Ceremony

Members of Ōtorohanga District Council were invited to attend a ceremony at the Ōtorohanga Museum on 25 May, alongside museum trustees and Mana Whenua, to receive taonga being gifted by Ngāti Whāwhākia of Aotea.

The intimate and moving ceremony was hosted in the refurbished old courthouse, where orator Professor Tom Roa spoke to the historic role the court played in the confiscation of Māori land and taonga. Professor Roa eloquently pointed to the new role that the historic building now embodies as a custodian of historic and culturally significant taonga.

The ceremony was attended by a large contingent of Ngāti Whāwhākia who had travelled from across Aotearoa. The day was an acknowledgement of the past and a celebration of charting forward new pathways of protection and partnership amongst communities.