Late last year Te Whanganui-a-Tara | Wellington hosted Pūoro Tū, a festival of “adventures in Māori instruments and sounds”. Here, taonga pūoro practitioner and Pūoro Tū organiser Ruby Solly reflects on this six-day celebration of the oro.Read more
The staff in Te Papa’s taonga puoro group are very lucky to have Richard Nunns as our mentor. Through his teaching and encouragement we continue to explore the kaupapa of taonga puoro. Richard is an incredibly busy man, travelling throughout New Zealand and often overseas, involved in many different projects. If heRead more
One of Te Papa’s photographers Norman Heke is usually behind the camera. He’s been at many hui and wānanga, studiously taking photos to put together a wonderful photographic record of these events. This time Norm was able to take part in the taonga puoro wānanga and learned how to make and play aRead more
Earlier this week Hongoeka marae in Plimmerton was filled with the sounds of taonga puoro (Maori musical instruments) – accompanied by the buzzing of sanders and the call of tuis flitting among the flaxes. I was one of twenty Te Papa staff who took part in a three-day wānanga onRead more
When a sperm whale strands it’s a major event. For Māori it is sometimes seen as a tohu, or sign of something significant.Read more
