Story: Biculturalism

Te Papa Tongarewa, the national museum in Wellington, was designed from the beginning as a bicultural institution. The museum ‘acknowledges the unique position of Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand and the need to secure their participation in the governance, management and operation of the Museum’. The meeting house Te Hono ki Hawaiki, shown here, and carved by a team led by the museum’s inaugural kaihautū Cliff Whiting (TeWhānau–a–Apanui) stands in the museum’smarae, Rongomaraeroa. The panels in front represent Māori stories and traditions, while those at the rear stand for the non-Māori who have made New Zealand their home.
Using this item
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Permission of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa must be obtained before any re-use of this image.
How to cite this page
Janine Hayward, Biculturalism – Biculturalism in the state sector, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/32146/te-papa-marae (accessed 27 October 2025).
Story by Janine Hayward, published 14 March 2012, reviewed and revised 10 January 2023 with assistance from Janine Hayward.