February 13, 2018
Te Papa 20 years on changing museum rules
Te Papa Tongarewa turns 20 today and the national museum continues to challenge the way museums operate.
Kaihautu Arapata Hakiwai says achievements include eight iwi exhibitions, exhibitions of taonga Maori that tour the world, and a repatriation programme to bring back ancestral remains from foreign museums and institutions.
He says rather than being a hoard for taonge, the museum works with iwi who have aspirations to display their own cultural heritage.
"We have thousands of taonga in museums and by reconnecting taonga, if we can help to strengthen and deepen our sense of who we are through the foundations of identity I think we are going to be better as a people, stronger, and our nation will be stronger, so that is part of the future planning here, we want to democratise or emancipate the museum far more," Mr Hakiwai says.
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