Future Workshops

• Provenance Research – tbc
• Iwi Engagement – tbc
• Storage and Physical Care of Kōiwi Tūpuna – tbc
• Wāhi Tapu and Tikanga Māori in the Museum – this workshop looks at the spiritual care of kōiwi tūpuna and staff – tbc
• The Repatriation Process – tbc
• Definitions and Difficult Questions – To be held in May 2021 at the Museums Aotearoa Conference at Waitangi

Past Workshops

Knowing your obligations: Laws, Policies and International Considerations in the Repatriation of Ancestral Human Remains 

13–14 July 2020, via Zoom

With the repatriation of ancestral human remains becoming increasingly normalised throughout museums in Aotearoa, it is important for us become aware of and understand what our obligations are when planning these returns.

The process of repatriation can range from being relatively straight forward, to requiring a significant amount of planning and communication with several organisations and government departments in Aotearoa and further afield.

The purpose of this workshop is to provide museums with the necessary tools and information needed to repatriate ancestral remains, back to their iwi, hapū, whānau and communities of origin.

The Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Customs, Heritage New Zealand, the New Zealand Police and Air New Zealand have been brought together to provide information relating to the movement of ancestral remains through and out of Aotearoa.

Audio Recordings for workshop:

Further information provided by:

Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage: 

Pouhere Taonga Heritage New Zealand: 

Te Arikirangi Mamaku (Karanga Aotearoa Repatriation Programme): 

Iwi Engagement Workshop

31st Janurary 2020, Waikato Museum

Establishing relationships with iwi, hapū and whānau is an important part of museological practice here in Aotearoa New Zealand. Museums have an obligation to recognise the “relationship established by Te Tiriti o Waitangi” and “accept that the principles of tino rangatiratanga apply to many aspects of museum and art gallery work”.

Creating meaningful relationships with local tangata whenua or iwi and hapū further afield can sometimes feel like unknown territory. The purpose if this workshop is to provide museum staff with a better understanding of the importance of these relationships; why museums should engage with iwi and hapū; and how iwi and hapū would like these relationships to be developed.

This workshop aims to provide museum staff with some helpful tools to engage, re-establish, and advance mutually beneficial relationships with iwi Māori.

Bone Identification Workshop

5th November 2019, Nelson Provincial Museum

This workshop was taken by Prof Hallie Buckley and Stacey Ward (Depatrmant of Anatomy, Otago Museum). The purpose of the workshop was to provide museum staff with a introduction to distinguishing human from non-human and infant human remains, as well as Māori/Moriori remains from non-Māori/Moriori remians.

For further information please contact Kaiarahi | Project Lead: Dr Amber Aranui Ambera@tepapa.govt.nz