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The Ministry of Culture and Heritage is seeking claims of ownership for a number of recently discovered taonga.
These include a toki or adze, found at the Otuataua Stonefields in Mangere, part of a waka found in the Manukau Harbour at Waiuku, a patu aruhe or fern root beater found at Kawakawa Bay on Auckland’s southeast edge, and a ketu digging stick found at Tuteawa in Coromandel.
People who find a Maori artefact covered by the Protected Objects Act are required to report it to the ministry, which places the item at a museum until ownership is decided.
Taonga tuturu are objects made by Maori that are more than 50 years old and relate to Maori culture, history, or society.
Since 2006, the ministry has handled 329 cases involving 1429 items.
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