ABSTRACT
The Repatriation programme works to bring back human remains from overseas institutions, while the team of kaitiaki Maori manages the Maori collection at Te Papa (TP). Both these teams stand out, because all their staff are Maori who are advocates for adhering to Maori protocols at TP, even when they clash with other world views. The Karanga Aotearoa Repatriation Programme is a government mandated authority situated at TP. The main purpose of Karanga Aotearoa Repatriation Programme is to repatriate Maori and Moriori human remains1 from overseas collections to their iwi of origin. During the ‘Maori renaissance’ in the 1970s, Maori wanted to bring their ancestors’ human remains back home, but it was not until the 1980s that concrete repatriation plans were put in place. The Koiwi Tangata policy affirms that the human remains are treated as Maori ancestors, tupuna, not collection items. While TP is the short-term guardian of the human remains, they are housed in a special room, called wahi tapu.
