TeMāori.nz
Te Māori
The Legacy
Te Māori was a ground-breaking exhibition of taonga Māori that toured North American and New Zealand museums from 1984-87. It fundamentally reshaped global and domestic perspectives of Māori culture.
One of the most powerful contributions was that it attracted worldwide interest in our art heritage and through its appeal gave us a place in the world. Our art heritage as represented by the pieces in Te Māori was recognised as world art.
It marked the first time taonga (treasures) were showcased internationally as high art rather than ethnographic artifacts, becoming a catalyst for the Māori cultural renaissance.
· Te Māori transformed the relationship between Māori and their taonga held in museum collections.
· Te Māori provided a focus for contemporary Māori to practice and broadly share their culture.
· Māori recognised and supported Te Māori as an expression of their proud history.
Te Maori exhibition, 1984 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Opening of Te Maori exhibition Sep 10 1984 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Te Māori
Manaaki Taonga Trust
Te Māori Manaaki Taonga Trust ensures that the achievements of Te Māori are promoted, maintained and developed through generation.
The Trust was established in 1992 by founding trustees Tā Hirini Moko Mead, Wiremu Cooper and Te Aue Davis.
The purpose of the trust was to support the development of Māori professionals involved in the care and display of taonga Māori. The Trust fund is derived from profits of Te Māori.
For twenty years the Trust supported the training of many Māori curators, conservators and cultural heritage offiers who are known as Te Māori Fellows.
In 2009 the Trust presented an exhibition and event at Te Māori Waiwhetu Cultural Centre to mark twenty-five years since the opening of Te Maōri: Māori Art from New Zealand Collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. At this gathering, Hirini Moko Mead, Māori Curator of Te Māori, emphasised the importance of these achievements for Māori people.
‘Te Māori was groundbreaking, it was transformative, and it helped introduce many changes in how we thought about ourselves, how museums behaved both here and in the United States, and how we as Māori behaved toward our taonga.’
The twenty-five year anniversary caused Trustees to reflect on the incredibly achievements of Māori people working in the cultural sector with taonga Māori and consider new objectives for the Trust.
Te Māori -Now
In 2015 a new Te Māori Manaaki Taonga Trust Deed was launched at Te Hono ki Hawaiki, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. The deed commits ongoing support for Māori working with taonga Māori and resolves to actively maintain the legacy of Te Māori for the benefit of Māori people.
The work of the Trust is supported by four pou:
1. Te Ōhaki ā Te Māori (the legacy of Te Māori)
2. Mātauranga Maōri (Māori knowledge)
3. Taonga Māori (Māori cultural objects)
4. Tangata Māori (Māori people)
This image represents the tiwhana (moko lines above the eyebrow) of Ranginui.
These lines are important pathways that lead to the middle of the forehead and refer to wisdom and knowledge.
The middle line represents raranga and acknowledges the weaving of our people, traditions and culture.
The bottom line represents whakairo and salutes the people involved in the work of Te Māori.
As a whole Tiwhana-o-te-Rangi projects the essence of who we are as Māori people, acknowledges the time since Te Māori and the new direction undertaken by Te Māori Manaaki Taonga Trust.
Te Pataka concert party
Whakairo (Carving) Ngāti Manawa, 1800s, Otago Museum
Te Māori -The Future
Te Whainga: He toi whakairo, he mana turoa’
Since Te Māori, the doors of the world have opened and given opportunities for our contemporary weavers, carvers, painters, tā moko artists, performing artists to exhibit and perform their arts offshore.
A refreshed focus on Te Māori will continue to strengthen these opportunities with a focus on nurturing our cultural identity and creating space for new taonga to evolve.
Taonga protections and the importance of our hononga to our taonga will be at the forefront of the trusts mahi. Te oranga ake o te tangata whenua!
The future is exciting, with planning underway for the next major international exhibition, a "reimagining of Te Māori".
This is an opportunity to deliver enduring economic benefits for Māori businesses and the wider economy, driving increased export revenue, raising international visibility for Māori artists and opening doors to new markets and opportunities.
Trustees
Che Wilson
Chairman
(Ngāti Rangi-Whanganui, Tūwharetoa, Mōkai Pātea,
Ngāti Apa, and Ngā Rauru),
Che is a respected Māori leader with expertise in cultural advocacy, Treaty settlement, governance, Crown service, and research leadership.
Ngatai Taepa
Deputy Chairman
(Te Arawa, Te Āti Awa), one of
New Zealand’s most significant and innovative contemporary Māori artists.
Ngatai is the Kaihautū Toi Māori – Director of Māori Arts and Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (Māori) at Massey University.
Ta Herewini Parata
(Ngāti Porou),
Ta Herewini is a champion of the utilisation and revitalisation of te reo Māori, tikanga, waiata and kapa haka. Under his leadership, Te Matatini has grown significantly in viewership and kapa haka participation across the country.
Evie Obrien
(Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Ranginui and Ngāti Pikiao),
Evie is an experienced professional in executive leadership and higher education.
She was previously the inaugural Program Director at the Atlantic Institute based at Rhodes Trust, Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
Puamiria Goodall
(Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Māmoe, Waitaha and Ngāti Kahungunu),
Puamiria is an experienced professional in the arts, culture and heritage sectors. She is current a member of the Ngāi Tahu Fund, Te Pae Kōrako Ngāi Tahu Archives, Canterbury Museum Trust Board and the Arts Council of New Zealand.
Arapata Hakiwai
(Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Kahungunu,
Ngāti Porou, Ngāi Tahu)
Arapata was previously a longstanding Trustee and has been reinvolved as a co-opted member.
He is the Kaihautū Māori co-leader at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, where he provides bicultural leadership and works to develop strong relationships with iwi.
Te Māori Fellowship: Pitt Rivers Museum Curatorial Residency
Introduction
Delivered in partnership with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and the Pitt Rivers Museum, the Te Māori Fellowship is an international professional development opportunity for two emerging and established Māori curators to participate in a six-week residency at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, England.
The fellowship provides a unique opportunity for fellows to develop curatorial practice within an international museum context and contribute to the understanding and interpretation of taonga Māori held overseas.
Two fellowships are available – one funded by Te Māori Manaaki Taonga Trust and one funded by Te Wānanga o Aotearoa (open to Te Wānanga o Aotearoa kaimahi and tauira only).
The residencies will take place from 11 October to 30 November 2026.
Purpose
The Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford is home to a significant collection of taonga Māori – including kākahu, whakairo, pounamu, photographs, and archival material. Many of these collections hold stories, whakapapa, knowledge, and connections to people and place that have become fragmented or disconnected over time.
The Te Māori Fellowship provides an opportunity for Māori curators to engage directly with these collections, contribute cultural knowledge and perspectives, and support a deeper understanding of taonga Māori within an international museum context.
Through research, collaboration, and knowledge exchange, the programme seeks to build Māori curatorial capability, advance Māori-led approaches to museum practice, and explore future opportunities for partnerships, exhibitions, research initiatives, cultural reconnection, and the strengthening of relationships between Māori and institutions holding taonga overseas.
The Residency Experience
Both fellows will undertake a six-week residency at the Pitt Rivers Museum, working alongside senior museum professionals and subject matter experts. Each fellow will be supported by a dedicated mentor, selected according to their area of interest and expertise, who will guide their learning and professional development throughout the residency.
Fellows will contribute to projects involving taonga Māori and Indigenous collections, while gaining hands-on experience in areas such as collections research, curatorial practice, conservation, public engagement, archives, and museum leadership. Alongside project work, fellows will have opportunities to engage with museum staff, researchers, and academic partners across the University of Oxford, building international networks and expanding their understanding of contemporary museum practice.
Areas of Work
Applicants are encouraged to visit the Pitt Rivers Museum website to explore their current collections. The residency programme will be tailored to each fellow's professional interests, skills, and aspirations.
Potential areas of work may include:
Collection research and interpretation:
Researching taonga Māori and associated archival material, contributing cultural knowledge and interpretation, and identifying opportunities to strengthen connections between collections and source communities.
Conservation and collections care:
Exploring museum conservation practices, particularly relating to Māori textiles, organic materials, and culturally responsive approaches to collections care.
Public engagement:
Supporting educational resources, exhibitions, public programmes, events, and storytelling initiatives that increase understanding of Māori and Indigenous collections.
Academic and institutional collaboration:
Participating in research projects, Indigenous leadership initiatives, and collaborations across museums, universities, and cultural institutions
Strategic development:
Identifying opportunities for future partnerships, exhibitions, research initiatives, cultural exchange programmes, and reconnection with taonga held overseas.
Fellowship Expectations
Successful fellows will be expected to:
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Participate fully in the six-week residency programme
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Engage professionally with Pitt Rivers Museum staff, researchers, and programme partners
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Undertake agreed research and project work
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Contribute to knowledge-sharing activities during the residency where appropriate
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Represent Te Māori Manaaki Taonga Trust, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, and Aotearoa with professionalism and mana
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Complete a written report outlining learnings, findings, and recommendations
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Deliver an oral presentation following completion of the residency
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Participate in communications and media activities relating to the fellowship
Partners
Te Māori Manaaki Taonga Trust
Established in 1992, Te Māori Manaaki Taonga Trust carries forward the legacy of Te Māori (1984-87), the groundbreaking exhibition that transformed how the world views our taonga and culture, and how we see ourselves.
The original purpose of the trust was to support the development of Māori professionals involved in the care and display of taonga Māori. For twenty years, the Trust supported the training of many Māori curators, conservators and cultural heritage officers who are known as Te Māori Fellows.
Through the Te Māori Fellowship, the Trust continues to support and strengthen Māori curatorial leadership, connections with institutions holding taonga Māori, and creating opportunities for research, cultural exchange, and the reconnection of mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) associated with taonga.
The restoration of Te Māori fellowships reflects the Trust's commitment to ensuring Māori voices remain central to the understanding, stewardship, and future of taonga wherever they reside.
http://www.temaori.nz
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa is one of New Zealand's largest tertiary education providers, established to protect, preserve, and advance Māori language, art, and culture. Their origins lie in the Waipa Kōkiri Arts Centre (1983), where visionary artists and educators sparked a renaissance in Māori creative expression.
Through their programmes in toi Māori, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa (Te Wānanga) has nurtured generations of artists, weavers, carvers, performers, designers, and thinkers who uphold the creative legacies of their iwi and hapū. Building on this legacy, Te Wānanga introduced a Diploma in Tiaki Taonga in 2025 alongside Waikato-Tainui. It is an innovative programme dedicated to the protection, care, and curation of taonga.
The Te Māori Fellowship extends that commitment by creating international pathways for Māori practitioners to engage with leading cultural institutions, develop specialist skills, and contribute to the future of Māori heritage management.
https://www.twoa.ac.nz/
Pitt Rivers Museum
Founded in 1884, Pitt Rivers Museum at the University of Oxford is one of the world's leading ethnographic and anthropological museums, housing over half a million artefacts from Indigenous cultures across the world, including an extensive collection of taonga Māori.
The museum is internationally recognised for its decolonisation efforts, Indigenous engagement and community partnerships.
It is also recognised for its commitment to ethical collections practice and collaborative approaches to research.
The residency provides a unique opportunity for Māori practitioners to engage directly with taonga Māori housed at Pitt Rivers Museum and contribute Indigenous perspectives to contemporary museum practice while building relationships that support future collaboration between Māori communities and international institutions.
https://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/
Application Process
Who Should Apply
We welcome applications from Māori curators and practitioners working across museums, galleries, archives, cultural heritage, education, research, and community-based settings. We recognise that expertise can be developed through both professional and lived experience, and value the knowledge held by those who work directly with taonga, toi Māori, mātauranga Māori, and their communities.
Applicants should demonstrate a commitment to Māori-led approaches to taonga stewardship, cultural heritage, and knowledge sharing.
This opportunity may be suitable for:
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Curators and assistant curators
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Kaitiaki and collection managers
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Museum and gallery professionals
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Archivists and researchers
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Cultural heritage practitioners
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Educators working with taonga and mātauranga Māori
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Graduates and practitioners working in taonga management and care
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Emerging and established leaders in the cultural sector
Key Dates
Applications Open: Monday 29 June
Applications Close: Monday 20 July
Residency Period: 11 October – 30 November 2026
Apply Below
He pounamu, te teitei 12cm
No Tuparoa
No Ngati Porou
Te wa, Te Tipunga (1200-1500)
Nga Whare Taonga o Te Matau-a-Maui i Ahuru (38/390)
mai i te Kohinga a Waipare
FAQ Sheet
Info Sheet
He rakau, te roa 245cm
No Manutuke i Turanga
No Rongowhakaata
Te wa, Te huringa I (1800- )
Te Whare Taonga o Akarana i Tamaki (44117)
He rakau te kuwaha, ter teitei 246cm
Te maihi maui, te roa 315cm
Te maihi matau, te roa 360cm
no Te kaha
No Te Whanau-a-Apanui
Te wa, Te Puawaitanga (1500-1800)
Te Whare Taonga o Akarana i Tamaki (22063)
mai i te kohina a Spencer
News
The Government has announced a $10 million boost to support Te Māori Tū, a new initiative that builds on the legacy of the original Te Māori exhibition. This investment will help protect taonga, grow Māori-led cultural projects, and create new opportunities for Māori artists and communities.
Read the full story to see how this funding will shape the next chapter of Te Māori.
Whakamaumahara
Archive
Courtesy of NZ on screen
(this link takes you to NZonscreens website)