Please note: This object is no longer on display
Curriculum links
Learning area
Social Sciences
Which strands will it fit with?
Identity, Culture, and Organisation, Continuity and Change
Key Competencies
Participating and contributing, Thinking
Levels of achievement
Levels 1– 5
Year group
Years 4–14
Which topics of study can it support?
- New Zealand History
- New Zealand Society
- Innovation and Invention
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How long might this take?
Allow 5–10 minutes.
Where do I find it?
- The tūpara is located inside the Made in New Zealand exhibition.
- Lost? Ask a Te Papa Host
Why should I take my class to visit this?
• The tūpara is an interesting item whose ornate wooden carvings make it unique to New Zealand.
• This object comes from a tumultuous period in New Zealand history.
• It illustrates how Māori adopted Western technologies for their own gain, while also making them distinctly Māori.
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What is there to do there?
• Marvel at the intricate carvings on the wooden butt of the tūpara.
• Look at other items related to conflict and weaponry in Made in New Zealand.
What should I know about this?
• It is a double-barrelled shotgun made in London, most likely during the late 1850s.
• The motifs in the carvings suggest that they were done by someone familiar with Northern or Whanganui iwi (tribal) styles.
• The owner or carver of this tūpara is unknown.
Possible topics for discussion
• Why do you think the tūpara is carved so intricately?
• The tūpara would have arrived on a ship during the 1860s. What events were happening in New Zealand during this time?
• What are some other examples of Māori adopting and adapting Western technologies?
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Further information
• The tūpara uses the more modern percussion ignition action, rather than the flintlock ignition action that most firearms in New Zealand used at the time.
• Flintlock ignition: this system for firearms was developed in the early 16th century. When the trigger of the gun is pulled, it causes a frizzen (striker) to strike a flint, showering sparks into a ‘primer pan’ of gunpowder. The ignited powder in turn ignites the main charge of gunpowder, firing the bullet.
• Percussion ignition: this safer, more reliable system was commonly used in guns from the 1830s. A small brass cap containing an explosive chemical compound is fitted onto a steel nipple mounted at the gun’s breech. When the trigger is pulled, a hammer falls and detonates the compound. The flash from the cap travels down a channel and ignites the main charge of gunpowder, firing the gun.
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