Kaupapa Māori

Kaupapa Māori Projects

Tūhura Otago Museum works with rūnaka, university colleagues, and local community museums across Te Waipounamu, engaging in a diverse range of initiatives that support learning about and treasuring taoka Māori. These include local archaeological research projects, supporting student learning, developing display information, and supporting the better recognition and care of taoka in museums, on marae, and in the community.

Cataloguing Taoka Tūturu on a Marae

Published 20 August 2025

One keen-eyed beach walker's finds have inspired a successful community-based initiative to identify and register taoka tūturu in Southland.

Accurately Dating the Māori Past Using Marine Shell

Published 21 August 2025

Developing a new local marine calibration curve will bring a whole new level of accuracy and confidence to radiocarbon dating the Māori past, using what is perhaps the most common feature of Māori archaeological heritage – the ancient rubbish heaps of shell middens.

Rescuing Archaeology in Moeraki

Published 1 January 2025

Coastal erosion is devastating wāhi tūpuna (ancestral places) all along the Otago coast. Tūhura Otago Museum has joined the Archaeology Programme of the University of Otago Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka to help local rūnaka recover taoka and information from eroding archaeological sites, and to provide understanding for decision-making about these ancestral places.