RepatriationKaranga Aotearoa

In 2003, the government mandated Te Papa to develop a formal programme for the repatriation of kōiwi tangata and kōimi tangata/kōimi tchakat (Moriori skeletal remains) from international institutions to iwi. Here you can learn about the repatriation process, see all the repatriations to date, and meet the team.

North Island Kaka, Nestor meridionalis septentrionalis, collected 24 Apr 1988, Waiterimu, near Ohinewai, Waikato., New Zealand. CC BY-NC-ND licence. Te Papa (OR.024148/1)

Repatriation team

Learn about the people behind the Karanga Aotearoa repatriation programme.

A man in a feathered cloak at a repatriation ceremony at Te Papa's marae

The Karanga Aotearoa Repatriation Programme

Find out how the programme came into existence, how negotiations for repatriation are carried out, and what happens when the Māori and Moriori ancestral remains arrive at Te Papa.

A group of people on a set of steps in a room with other people

Watch: Return of looted ancestors from Vienna to Aotearoa New Zealand

Prof. Dr Eggers presents a background to the various collectors and expeditions involved in the illicit collection and trade of tūpuna and karāpuna and their difficult and long-awaited journey home. This kōrero follows the recent and significant return of kōiwi tangata and kōimi tangata/kōimi tchakat from Austria to Aotearoa New Zealand.

Repatriation ceremony, 2014. Photograph by Kate Whitley. Te Papa

International repatriation

Te Papa has returned close to 850 Māori and Moriori ancestors to Aotearoa New Zealand by repatriating ancestral remains, including Toi moko, from around the world.

Basalt columns that are mostly five-sided by the sea which has a lot of seaweed and foam in it

Repatriation and return of karāpuna to Rēkohu

Since the early 19th century, the illicit collection and trade of kōimi tangata/kōimi tchakat (Moriori skeletal remains) saw the remains of hundreds of Moriori karāpuna (Moriori ancestors) stolen from sacred burial sites and held in collections, both abroad and within Aotearoa New Zealand.

A group of people hold boxes containing Māori and Moriori skeletal remains

The repatriation of Māori and Moriori remains

Find out what happens to the Toi moko (preserved Māori tattooed heads), kōiwi tangata (Māori skeletal remains), and kōimi tangata/kōimi tchakat before, during, and after their time at Te Papa.

Repatriation ceremony, 2015. Photograph by Michael Hall. Te Papa

Domestic repatriation

Returning Māori ancestral remains to iwi (tribes) throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.

[Detail] North Island Brown Kiwi, Apteryx mantelli, collected Wanganui, New Zealand. Purchased 1939. CC BY-NC-ND licence. Te Papa (OR.002428)

Repatriation Advisory Panel

Read about the respected Māori and Moriori representatives who advise our repatriation programme.

A stylised photo of an inlet surrounded by bush.

Watch: Contemporary Museum Conversations – Oceania collections and ancestral remains

Watch an online presentation from Übersee-Museum Bremen, Germany and Te Papa discuss themes of cultural treasures and ancestral remains from Oceania in Germany, their history of collection and trade, contemporary care in museum collections, and pathways to re-connection of these taonga (treasures) and tūpuna/karāpuna (ancestors) to their communities of origin.

Regional / Local Meetings

Regional meetings provide a valuable repatriation discussion forum.