Mana Whenua
Experience powerful stories that celebrate Māori as tangata whenua – the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand.
In Mana Whenua, explore the richness of Māori life and heritage through taonga, oral histories, and contemporary art works.
Encounter taonga tuku iho ranging from weaving, carving, and pounamu pendants, to waka and whare.
Tamariki can explore te ao Māori through activities in the Te Huka ā Tai Discovery Centre next door.
Permanent exhibition
Level 4
Free with museum entry
All ages
30 minutes
wheelchair accessible
variable lighting
no photography
Highlights
Manu Rere Moana
The navigation of the Pacific by waka hourua | double-hulled sailing waka is one of the great achievements of human technology. This exhibition celebrates the mātauranga of celestial navigation that enabled these extraordinary voyages.
He Kaupapa Waka
See powerful photos of the waka fleet that gathered on Waitangi Day in 2020 to commemorate the 80-year anniversary of the 1940 launch of Ngātokimatawhāorua – named after the ancestral waka that made the voyage from Hawaiki to Aotearoa.
Tchakat Moriori
Explore the story of Moriori, the original inhabitants of the remote islands of Rēkohu, also known as the Chatham Islands or Wharekauri.
Guide to Mana Whenua in New Zealand Sign Language
Te Hau ki Tūranga
An exceptional meeting house at the core of Mana Whenua.
Teremoe
See a waka taua from the Whanganui region, used in battles during the New Zealand wars of the mid 1800s.
Guide to Teremoe in New Zealand Sign Language
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