He Tohu is open now
He Tohu is a permanent exhibition of three iconic constitutional documents that shape Aotearoa New Zealand. Come visit at the National Library, Wellington. Find out more at
He Tohu is a permanent exhibition of 3 iconic constitutional documents that shape Aotearoa New Zealand.
The documents are:
* 1835 He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni – Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand
* 1840 Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty of Waitangi
* 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition – Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine
He Tohu is presented by Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga and the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, both of which are part of the Department of Internal Affairs.
He Whakaputanga — Whose hand was it that crafted these words
Here's the story of the writing of He Whakaputanga. You can see the original He Whakaputanga document at the He Tohu exhibition.
He Tohu is a permanent exhibition of three iconic constitutional documents that shape Aotearoa New Zealand. Come visit at the National Library, Wellington. Find out more at
He Tohu is a permanent exhibition of 3 iconic constitutional documents that shape Aotearoa New Zealand.
The documents are:
* 1835 He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni – Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand
* 1840 Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty of Waitangi
* 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition – Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine
He Tohu is presented by Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga and the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, both of which are part of the Department of Internal Affairs.he
He Whakaputanga
Event recording from 15 February 2018.
Independence was a powerful assertion of mana and rangatiratanga. Signed by fifty-two rangatira between 1835 and 1839, He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni was followed by Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 1840. In this conversation, Dame Claudia Orange and Morgan Godfery will discuss these two iconic documents with chair Carwyn Jones. Speaking to the history of these documents over nearly two centuries, the panel will also reflect on their significance in twenty-first century New Zealand.
Find out more at
He Tohu is a permanent exhibition of 3 iconic constitutional documents that shape Aotearoa New Zealand.
The documents are:
* 1835 He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni – Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand
* 1840 Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty of Waitangi
* 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition – Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine
He Tohu is presented by Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga and the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, both of which are part of the Department of Internal Affairs.
Visit He Tohu (Te Reo)
He Tohu is a new permanent exhibition of 3 iconic constitutional documents that shape Aotearoa New Zealand. Come visit at the National Library, Wellington. Find out more at
He Tohu is a permanent exhibition of 3 iconic constitutional documents that shape Aotearoa New Zealand.
The documents are:
* 1835 He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni – Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand
* 1840 Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty of Waitangi
* 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition – Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine
He Tohu is presented by Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga and the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, both of which are part of the Department of Internal Affairs.
Land ownership
See major Crown acquisitions since 1840, including confiscations after the New Zealand Wars and peak Native Land Court era.
This animation is from the map table at the He Tohu exhibition.
The map table is a 3D canvas that stories are projected onto from above. Find out more at
He Tohu is presented by Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga and the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, both of which are part of the Department of Internal Affairs.
What makes you proud to be a New Zealander? Part 1
Visitor korero from the recording booth at the He Tohu exhibition at the National Library of New Zealand.
Find out more at
He Tohu is a permanent exhibition of 3 iconic constitutional documents that shape Aotearoa New Zealand.
The documents are:
* 1835 He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni – Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand
* 1840 Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty of Waitangi
* 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition – Te Petihana Whakamana Poti Wahine
He Tohu is presented by Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kawanatanga and the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, both of which are part of the Department of Internal Affairs.
Treaty settlements - a step in the right direction?
Hear a kōrero from the He Tohu exhibition about Te Tiriti with Dr Donald Brash, Mihingarangi Forbes, Prof Michael Belgrave, Hon Justice Matthew Palmer, QC and Kate Martin.
Recognition of the Treaty itself by 1975, fully in 1985, protests, actions, the beginings of settlements, have seen us all grow in our understanding.
Find out more at
He Tohu is a permanent exhibition of 3 iconic constitutional documents that shape Aotearoa New Zealand.
The documents are:
* 1835 He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni – Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand
* 1840 Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty of Waitangi
* 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition – Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine
He Tohu is presented by Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga and the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, both of which are part of the Department of Internal Affairs.
He Tohu Exhibition
He Tohu, a new permanent exhibition of three iconic constitutional documents that shape Aotearoa New Zealand. Treaty of Waitangi, Declaration of Independance and Womens Suffrage Petition.
Anne Salmond — He Tohu interview
Hear a kōrero with Dame Anne Salmond, anthropologist and historian. Excerpts from this interview appear in kōrero which are part of the He Tohu exhibition.
...on the marae you can be very forthright, you can be very robust, but on the whole you don’t delve into the depths of personal... you listen while people are talking, you listen.
Find out more at
He Tohu is a permanent exhibition of 3 iconic constitutional documents that shape Aotearoa New Zealand.
The documents are:
* 1835 He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni – Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand
* 1840 Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty of Waitangi
* 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition – Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine
He Tohu is presented by Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga and the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, both of which are part of the Department of Internal Affairs.
He Tohu VR - Virtual Reality Experience
He Tohu is a permanent exhibition of three iconic constitutional documents that shape Aotearoa New Zealand: He Whakaputanga (known in English as the Declaration of Independence), Te Tiriti o Waitangi - The Treaty of Waitangi, and the 1893 Women's Suffrage Petition - Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine. This video explains how He Tohu is using virtual reality (VR) to increase learning and improve access to these three mana taonga.
Produced by Mixt Studios and the Department of Internal Affairs, the He Tohu VR was a Finalist in the 2019 Best Design Awards - Interactive Category.
Team Members:
Alex Cox, Daniel Loorparg, Dean Hewison, Piers Gilbertson, Jessica Ammundsen, RealityVirtual, Tainui Stephens, Lionel Wellington, Magdalena Pol.
Contributors:
Laureen Jones, Hugh Karena, Jared Davidson, Cheryl Klaui, Alistair Fraser, Ariana Tikao
Soundtrack:
Alistair Fraser, Ariana Tikao
Learn more about He Tohu at hetohu.nz
Rt Hon Dame Sian Elias, Chief Justice of New Zealand – Judicial Review and Constitutional Balance
Explore He Tohu (Te Reo)
He Tohu is a new permanent exhibition of three iconic constitutional documents that shape Aotearoa New Zealand. Come visit at the National Library, Wellington.Find out more at
He Tohu is a permanent exhibition of 3 iconic constitutional documents that shape Aotearoa New Zealand.
The documents are:
* 1835 He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni – Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand
* 1840 Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty of Waitangi
* 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition – Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine
He Tohu is presented by Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga and the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, both of which are part of the Department of Internal Affairs.
Women's Suffrage — Kicking down the door
Here's the story of the Women's Suffrage Petition being presented to Parliament. You can see the original Women's Suffrage Petition at the He Tohu exhibition.
He Tohu is a permanent exhibition of three iconic constitutional documents that shape Aotearoa New Zealand. Come visit at the National Library, Wellington. Find out more at
He Tohu is a permanent exhibition of 3 iconic constitutional documents that shape Aotearoa New Zealand.
The documents are:
* 1835 He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni – Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand
* 1840 Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty of Waitangi
* 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition – Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine
He Tohu is presented by Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga and the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, both of which are part of the Department of Internal Affairs.
He Whakaputanga — No wai te ringa i auaha i enei kupu
Ki te kore He Whakaputanga, tērā pea kāore i puta mai te Tiriti o Waitangi. Haere mai ki te ako kōrero anō, ki He Tohu.
You can see the original He Whakaputanga document at the He Tohu exhibition.
He Tohu is a permanent exhibition of three iconic constitutional documents that shape Aotearoa New Zealand. Come visit at the National Library, Wellington. Find out more at
He Tohu is a permanent exhibition of 3 iconic constitutional documents that shape Aotearoa New Zealand.
The documents are:
* 1835 He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni – Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand
* 1840 Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty of Waitangi
* 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition – Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine
He Tohu is presented by Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga and the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, both of which are part of the Department of Internal Affairs.
Welcome to Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga Archives New Zealand
E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e raurangatira mā!
Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa!
Mai Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga e mihi atu, e mihi atu, e mihi atu
Nau mai, haere mai, whakatau mai rā
Ki te whakarongo ki ngā hua, ki ngā Taonga
E noho ana i ngā pātaka o Te Rua Mahara o Te Kāwanatanga
Nau mai, haere mai, whakatau mai rā!
To the distinguished guests, to the many people (gathered here)!
Greetings, greetings, greeting one and all!
From Archives New Zealand welcome, welcome, welcome
Come, come, come and gather around
To listen about the material and Taonga
That are housed and stored in the repositories of Archives New Zealand
Welcome, welcome, welcome!
A short film showcasing the Wellington repository of Archives New Zealand. It shows 'behind-the-scenes' footage of the staff-only 'stacks', staff and conservators, the He Tohu exhibition and work on the 1893 Women's Suffrage Petition, and examples of archives with te reo Māori.
More information about Archives New Zealand can be found at or on our many social media channels.
Music: 'Lake George' by William Rosati
Sian Elias — He Tohu interview
Interview with Rt Hon Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias. Excerpts from this interview appear in kōrero which are part of the He Tohu exhibition. Find out more at
He Tohu is a permanent exhibition of 3 iconic constitutional documents that shape Aotearoa New Zealand.
The documents are:
* 1835 He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni – Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand
* 1840 Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty of Waitangi
* 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition – Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine
He Tohu is presented by Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga and the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, both of which are part of the Department of Internal Affairs.
Te Whakamana Pōti Wahine – Ko te whana iho i te tatau
Here's the story of the Women's Suffrage Petition being presented to Parliament. You can see the original Women's Suffrage Petition at the He Tohu exhibition.
He Tohu is a permanent exhibition of three iconic constitutional documents that shape Aotearoa New Zealand. Come visit at the National Library, Wellington. Find out more at
He Tohu is a permanent exhibition of 3 iconic constitutional documents that shape Aotearoa New Zealand.
The documents are:
* 1835 He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni – Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand
* 1840 Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty of Waitangi
* 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition – Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine
He Tohu is presented by Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga and the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, both of which are part of the Department of Internal Affairs.
Making the Strange Familiar - Merata Kawharu
Inaugural Professorial Lecture - Merata Kawharu - Making the Strange Familiar |
Māori communities are increasingly moving into social and economic innovation, yet they still face the realities of negative statistics in all areas of well-being. Like any community, other things concern them, including big challenges facing humanity like climate change. Treaty claim settlements are also a significant defining issue of modern times for Māori and New Zealand.
He Tohu Opening Ceremony
He Tohu Opening Ceremony held at Wellington's National Library.
He Tohu, the permanent exhibition of documents that shape our nation will feature the important constitutional documents that continue to shape our nation:
1835 He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni – Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand
1840 Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty of Waitangi
1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition – Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine
From its outset in mid-2014, the He Tohu exhibition project has been developed in partnership between the Crown and Māori, with both parties providing leadership and direction.
This partnership is represented by the Minister of Internal Affairs and a group of iwi and manawhenua leaders.
Several weeks ahead of the opening, the taonga documents will be moved to their new home in the National Library building, with the Chief Archivist and Archives New Zealand continuing to have statutory responsibility for their preservation and care.
The move process is of particular importance to Māori. Apart from the safe and secure move by Archives New Zealand of the fragile documents themselves, there will be uplifting of their intangible mana and tapu (spiritual) elements.
A He Tohu Tikanga Māori group, made up of Wellington manawhenua, Ngāpuhi and Department of Internal Affairs representatives, has identified the move of the documents as a significant tikanga event, and planning is now well underway.
It will happen in April, and there is expected to be significant representation from iwi and women’s organisations.
This will be the last Waitangi Day to see the Treaty of Waitangi in the Archives New Zealand Constitution Room before the public opening of the new He Tohu permanent exhibition in the National Library of New Zealand on 20 May 2017.
The Waitangi Tribunal
Hear a kōrero from the He Tohu exhibition with Moana Jackson, Rt Hon Dame Sian Elias, Judge Carrie Wainwright, Prof Marilyn Waring, Hon Justice Matthew Palmer, QC and Dr Claudia Orange, DNZM about Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
By settling an allegation which they've agreed is justified, that the Crown breached the Treaty of Waitangi, they are enabling both the Crown and Maori to get over that breakdown in the past.
Find out more at
He Tohu is a permanent exhibition of 3 iconic constitutional documents that shape Aotearoa New Zealand.
The documents are:
* 1835 He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni – Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand
* 1840 Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty of Waitangi
* 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition – Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine
He Tohu is presented by Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga and the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, both of which are part of the Department of Internal Affairs.