The Taonga Files

A simple search for a kupu leads Migoto to a 1915 Williams Māori dictionary with a surprising whakapapa of its own. In this episode, She traces the legacy of the Williams whānau, generations of Māori language scholars, and uncover how this particular copy once sat on Elsdon Best’s desk - complete with his clippings, markers, and quiet traces of use. A reminder that even the most unassuming taonga...

Provenance research isn’t just about tracing an object’s past - it’s about restoring identity, dignity, and connection. In this episode, Amber breaks down what truly belongs in a provenance research toolkit, from core methods and detective‑coded analytical tools to digital resources, community engagement, and the ethical foundations that guide every decision. Drawing on kaupapa‑led practice and re...

Step into the archives with us as a seemingly ordinary A&P Show catalogue cracks open a hidden world of taonga Māori competitions — carvings, korowai, piupiu, mats, kits, weapons, all filed under the enigmatic category “Native Industries.” Amber and Migoto follow the clues through 30 years of entries, familiar names, unexpected judges, and the mystery of the elusive piupiu tatangi. No photos....

In this episode, the ladies open a map for new researchers, early‑career curators, and anyone beginning their journey into cultural heritage. Archives and national libraries hold the raw materials of history, manuscripts, photographs, government records, sound recordings, newspapers, “the evidence, the voices, the paper trails, the contradictions, the context.” Links National Library of New Zealan...

This is not your typical taonga Māori. Its also not just an old ledger but if you take a closer look it can reveal more. We’ll take you into the room with this taonga what it was like and what you might find. Not dissimilar to an address book from 1878 we’ll share with you its purpose, importance and its taonga-like characteristics. We talk about the Te Wananga newspaper and its subscribers who we...

Museum records can feel like a locked world — full of jargon, hidden systems, and unanswered questions. In this episode of The Taonga Files, Amber and Migoto break down what museum records actually are, what they can reveal, and how early‑career and community researchers can access them with confidence. A practical, empowering guide to navigating the archives with clarity, kaupapa, and a touch of...

Just weeks after the Colonial Museum opened in 1865, someone slipped through the darkness and cut their way inside. A “short elderly man” and “experienced burglar”, vanished into the night with gold, precious stones, and a cache of taonga Māori. In this episode, we retrace the break‑in, the hunt for culprit, and the strange trail of clues that led to the recovery of some taonga… while others disap...

In this brief we explore the valuable resource of Papers Past, and why this is a must for our research kete. Papers Past Niupepa Māori Trove Library of Congress British Newspaper Archive Glossary Aotearoa: New Zealand Niupepa Māori: Māori Newspapers Te reo Māori: The Māori language Tupuna: Ancestor Waiata: Song Koroua/Koro; Elderly man, grandfather Whakapapa: Genealogy Whanaunga: Relative

A single line in an 1865 museum ledger. A registration number from the wrong century. A photograph altered to hide everything but a single carving. This episode dives into the forensic world of provenance research as Amber traces the journey of a tauihu that disappeared inside the museum’s collection. With help from the next generation of museum researchers, and a lot of patient detective work, sh...

In this ‘brief’, Migoto Eria and Amber Aranui lay the foundations for exploring how taonga shape, and are shaped by, hauora (wellbeing). Grounded in Te Whare Tapa Whā, they reveal taonga not as static museum objects but as living presences that speak, travel, and maintain unbroken lines of whakapapa. The kōrero moves through the emotional and spiritual weight of caring for taonga, the protective f...

The Taonga Files opens with a journey into Aotearoa’s colonial past, tracing the origins of the country’s first national museum and the taonga Māori caught within its early collecting practices. Join curators Amber Aranui and Migoto Eria as they uncover how taonga were catalogued, misplaced, and silenced — and how provenance research today is helping restore their stories, whakapapa, and connectio...

In this Brief, we dig into the meaning of ‘taonga’ from our perspective — what the term holds, how it’s been used, what it means to us, and why it matters for the mahi we do. We also touch on its appearance in Te Tiriti o Waitangi, where Māori were promised tino rangatiratanga over ‘o ratou taonga katoa’ (check out the NZ History link below for a more in-depth look at this). That commitment sits a...

Welcome to The Taonga Files In our very first episode, we open the doors to The Taonga Files and introduce the kaupapa behind the podcast. Join Amber Aranui, Migoto Eria‑Rowell, and Monica Tromp — three wāhine with decades of experience across archaeology, curation, science, repatriation, museum practice, and community‑driven research — as we share who we are, why we do this mahi, and what listene...

The Taonga Files is a podcast about provenance research — the detective work of uncovering the histories of taonga Māori held in museum collections. Each episode explores how research reveals not only what sits on museum shelves, but how those taonga arrived there, and the stories they carry. This show demonstrates that provenance research is far from dry or technical. It is exciting, meaningful,...