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The story of the Te Pahi medal

Tippahee: A documentary about the Te Pahi medal

Watch Tippahee – a documentary about the historic and triumphant homecoming of the Te Pahi medal.

Te Pahi received his unique medal in 1806. It later vanished amid tragedy. Over 200 years on, his tribe, Ngāpuhi, strived to bring it home to Aotearoa New Zealand.

Directed by Komako Silver, a descendant of Te Pahi.

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    Timeline of the Te Pahi Medal

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    The Te Pahi medal is a taonga (treasure) of national importance: the first official state gift given to a Māori chief.

  • Te Pahi Medal, engraved words read 'Presented by Governor King to Tippahee, a Chief of New Zealand, during his visit at Sydney New South Wales January 1806'
    A silver slice of Māori history: the Te Pahi medal

    A silver slice of Māori history: the Te Pahi medal

    This paper considers the circumstances behind the commissioning of the medal in 1805–06 and its disappearance following colonist and whaler raids in 1810.