After more than a century in national museum collections and four decades of negotiations, a misidentified tekoteko has been formally returned to Rānana Marae on the Whanganui River.
The tekoteko Hāmama, representing a Ngāti Hine tūpuna, was handed over by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, marking the end of a long journey for the carving and the river community that fought for his return.
Hapū descendants, Whanganui iwi and members of the local community gathered at Rānana to witness what was described as an emotional, historic homecoming.
Acquired by the Dominion Museum in 1912 from J Thompson, Hāmama had been held in the national collection for more than 100 years.
The return follows long-standing efforts by the Whanganui Māori Trust Board, the Rānana Māori Committee, kaupapa Māori research centre Te Atawhai o Te Ao and the Rānana Marae Reservation Trust. Each advocated across successive generations for repatriation.
Dr Rāwiri Tinirau, director of Te Atawhai o Te Ao and chairman of the Rānana Marae Reservation Trust, said the moment the tekoteko was carried onto the marae was deeply significant for the hapū.
For many, it marked the fulfilment of a long-held aspiration to bring their ancestor home.
"As a hapū, we have been in discussion and negotiation with Te Papa for the return of our tūpuna for such a long time. Seeing him removed from the van and carried onto our marae was incredibly emotional for us as a hapū, and for all who were present on the day," Tinirau said.
The chance encounter
Carved in the 1870s-1880s, Hāmama originally stood at the apex of Huriwhenua, the whare rūnanga commissioned by Taitoko Te Rangihiwinui (Major Kemp) at Kahotea in Rānana.
Based on the distinctive carving style – including the tekoteko’s bulbous eyes, bent legs and five-fingered hand gripping the tongue – he is believed to have been carved by master carvers Hori Pukehika and Te Ture Poutama.
For decades, however, Hāmama was misidentified as originating from Upper Mohaka in Hawke’s Bay – until a chance encounter in 1986, when Ngāti Hine descendant Rachel Tinirau and her whānau visited the National Museum.
She immediately recognised the carving style as unmistakably Whanganui. The discovery sparked further kōrero among hapū members, followed by research and historic photograph comparisons, ultimately confirming the carving as the long-missing tekoteko from Huriwhenua.
A 40-year repatriation process Dr Rāwiri Tinirau speaks from the paepae as the tekoteko Hāmama is returned to Rānana Marae. (Source: Supplied)
Despite the confirmation, the repatriation process took more than 40 years to complete. Letters, formal requests and renewed approaches were made over the decades as various Whanganui groups continued to call for Hāmama’s return.
Shifts in national museum practice and growing recognition of the importance of whakapapa and provenance helped reopen discussions in recent years.
Arapata Hakiwai, kaihautū Māori co-leader of Te Papa, acknowledged that museums worldwide are confronting the legacies of how indigenous taonga were collected, classified and held. He said the institution had learned from iwi, hapū, whānau and experts over many years, influencing how Te Papa now approaches relationships with communities and decisions about taonga.
In 2019, progress took a significant step forward when Hāmama was returned to Whanganui on a long-term loan to the Whanganui Regional Museum as part of the Ngā Wai Honohono – Bound by Water exhibition.
As part of the Whakamanu Research Project, Tinirau and Te Atawhai o Te Ao reignited repatriation efforts. Their provenance research became a key factor in establishing the basis for the tekoteko’s permanent return.
Hakiwai highlighted the importance of such research, noting that many taonga in museum collections still lack fully documented histories or whakapapa because institutions historically did not invest in this work. Reconnecting taonga to their people, he said, remains a critical and ongoing responsibility.
Te Papa chief executive Courtney Johnston told the gathering on November 15 that the museum is committed to changing the traditional model of museums as holders of cultural material.
She acknowledged the roles played by iwi, hapū, whānau and generations of advocates who helped transform the museum’s thinking. Johnston said Te Papa aimed to be a museum "that does not seek to hold, but a museum that seeks to send home".
To mark Hāmama’s return, Te Papa also gifted a mere pounamu named Te Hokinga Mai in recognition of the significance of the occasion.
Tinirau said the fulfilment of the hapū’s long-standing wish, and the tekoteko’s placement in the wharepuni Te Morehu at Rānana, represented an important turning point.
He said the homecoming opened the door for the potential return of many more taonga connected to Whanganui hapū which continue to rest in museums and collections elsewhere.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
