Story: Marlborough region

Wairau Bar: reburial of ancestors (3rd of 3)

Wairau Bar: reburial of ancestors

In April 2009, in an emotional ceremony at Wairau Bar, New Zealand’s earliest human remains were reburied by Rangitāne ki Wairau elders. The remains were excavated in an archaeological dig around 1940 and had been held in Canterbury Museum in Christchurch. The iwi had sought their return for many years.

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Marlborough Express

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How to cite this page:

Malcolm McKinnon, 'Marlborough region - Early Māori history', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/31751/wairau-bar-reburial-of-ancestors (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Malcolm McKinnon, updated 1 Nov 2016