ABSTRACT
I normally circumvent the subject of repatriation because, in my experience as a curator, most elders consider the majority of ‘Maori’ demands for the return of ancestral treasures, or taonga1 and human remains2 a red herring that distracts from the need to address other partnership initiatives. During the many returns of museum-held taonga to my tribal homelands (I am a descendant of the Arawa tribes of Aotearoa New Zealand) the word ‘repatriation’ was rarely used. Many elders enter into negotiations seeking pathways of mutual benefit for all involved, and for them, the concept ‘repatriation’ seldom finds context or currency as it can invoke reactive rather than proactive interactions. This chapter, therefore, is not about repatriation but instead about partnership. To demonstrate the benefits of such an approach I will use the Auckland Museum’s 1997 unencumbered return of the great cultural artefact Pukaki as my example.This unprecedented gesture of institutional goodwill sets an example for other museums worldwide. Pukaki’s homecoming heralded the beginnings for Auckland Museum and its tribal partners, Ngati Whatua O Orakei, of an exciting new journey down a pathway of partnership regarding long-term management of all things indigenous within its four walls.
