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Six vessels have been chosen to form the core flotilla for the Tuia – Encounters 250 national commemoration.
The flotilla will sail together to sites around New Zealand from October to December this year.
Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage chief Executive Bernadette Cavanagh says it's a way to acknowledge the stories from the first onshore encounters between Māori and Europeans, both good and bad, so we can learn about our history in a balanced and respectful way.
The flotilla will include two waka hourua – Haunui from Tāmaki Makaurau and Ngahiraka Mai Tawhiti from Tauranga.
They will be joined by the va’a moana Fa’afaite i te Ao Ma’ohi from Tahiti, a replica of Captain Cook's ship the Endeavour from the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney, the R. Tucker Thompson from Pēwhairangi / Bay of Islands, and a youth training ship, the Spirit of New Zealand.
The voyage will be supported by naval vessels at different sites.
The event will focus on more than what happened in 1769 when James Cook, Tupaia and the Endeavour crew arrived in Aotearoa.
Ms Cavanagh says New Zealanders are ready for and want a balanced, respectful and honest reflection of our journey together from those encounters to now.
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