Ngāti Whakaue descendants of Pūkaki welcome the carved taonga home to Te Papa-i-Ouru marae in Rotorua, in 1997. Pūkaki had been given to the Crown in 1877 as part of an agreement that was supposed to protect Ngāti Whakaue lands when the town of Rotorua was established. The lands were mostly lost, while Pūkaki ended up in the Auckland Museum. A 1997 agreement recognised Ngāti Whakaue as kaitiaki (guardians) of Pūkaki. The taonga was regifted to the Crown and placed permanently in the Rotorua District Council offices.
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Private collection, Paul Tapsell
Photograph by Hamish Macdonald
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