Free museum entry for New Zealanders and people living in New Zealand
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(except Christmas Day)
Free museum entry for New Zealanders and people living in New Zealand
Ika moana, ika whenua is a phrase inspired by tohunga tohorā Dr Ramari Stewart, to unite these two projects. It speaks to the relationship between those who live on or are part of the land and those who reside in the sea, the realm of Tangaroa. It also acknowledges the whakapapa connection between tohorā and kauri. It is a way to express how cetaceans (whales and dolphins), who whakapapa to the ika linage, come to be part of the whenua when they return to the land to sustain, provide and enrich us.
While both projects are important and informative in their own right, they work together in an interesting way. These studies will help us understand how the relationship between Māori and cetaceans has changed since people first arrived in Aotearoa by combining mātauranga Māori with techniques used in archaeological science to tell this story.
Follow us on this journey as we explore our connections with ika moana through the stories of our taonga.
This project will create a minimally invasive sampling technique to identify the animals used in manufacturing taonga tūturu, precious objects created by Māori artisans. This will substantially enhance the capabilities of the museum and heritage sector to find and engage meaningfully with the custodians of these taonga.
The relationship between Oceanic peoples and cetaceans (whales and dolphins) is a sacred and significant one that has persisted throughout history. This project will examine the changing use, abundance, and diversity of cetaceans from the first arrival of people to Aotearoa New Zealand to the present.
Museums hold thousands of ‘things’ from all around the world. In larger institutions like Te Papa, the histories of these ‘things’, be they objects, specimens, artifacts or taonga, are not always known. Dr Amber Aranui and Dr Monica Tromp are looking at ways to start recovering these lost stories and histories.
Working with local rangatahi learning about archaeology, Mātauranga Māori Curator Dr Amber Aranui dusted off her excavation gear and joined Dr Monica Tromp and three Otago University students for a community-based archaeological excavation at Butler Point in Hihi in early 2025.
Archaeologists Dr Monica Tromp, Dr Amber Aranui, and Sophie White discussed the rich work they are undertaking to examine human–Ika moana relationships. The research spans many different projects and stakeholders questioning what ika (fish) our tūpuna (ancestors) used, how their use of ika changed, and how these relationships are described in pūrākau (ancestral stories)?
