Te Aho Mutunga Kore is our textile and fibre knowledge exchange centre for Māori and Pasifika communities, launched in 2023 with the generous support of Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage. On this page, find out more about the kaupapa of this work, and follow the journey as the mahi progresses.

Te Aho Mutunga Kore

The eternal thread

Te Aho Mutunga Kore

Te Aho Mutunga Kore translates literally to the eternal thread. This sentiment is befitting of this important kaupapa, intended to become a permanent centre at Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum. It will nurture creativity, knowledge sharing and knowledge creation by decentering the Museum and handing agency back to Māori and Pasifika communities. 

Te Aho Mutunga Kore will ensure sustained engagement with textile and fibre collections held by the Museum, to strengthen the ties (aho) between community and their material culture heritage, creating a safe pathway for taonga tuku iho (knowledge transmission). 

"Kotahi te kōhao o te ngira e kuhuna ai te miro mā, te miro pango, te miro whero"

-Tāwhio, Tūkaroto Matutaera Pōtatau Te Wherewhero

Through the eye of the needle pass the white threads, the black threads and the red threads.​​ Looking to the past as you progress, hold firmly to your love, law and your faith.

Community groups involved

Community groups involved

Te Aho Mutunga Kore is starting with five projects carried out by Māori and Pasifika community groups. Each group will be given access to the fibre and textile taonga they are interested in, within the collection at Tāmaki Paenga Hira. They will each decide what their own project will entail and achieve, within the kaupapa of knowledge exchange relating to fibre and textiles collections.  

Following are the 10 community groups who are currently involved. We’ll be sharing updates from these groups as they go.

 


Photo taken from the Kiribati Arts and Weavers Community visit in June. 

Project one: Kiribati Arts and Weavers Community  

Tāmaki Paenga Hira has one of the best late 19th and early 20th century Kiribati collections, which is of key importance to local Kiribati makers. Discussions with the makers have led to accessing collections to study and learn older techniques, and to revitalise practices of making including tibuta blouses and pandanas weaving, which have been showcased in public performances at the Museum and Britomart.  

 

Project two: Solomon Aelan Kastom Arts and Weavers 

The Solomon Aelan Kastom Arts and Weavers groups have been hosting large community workshops, exploring weaving practices including grass skirts, table mats, woven mats, panpipes, kuza (string bag), traditional necklaces, bracelets and stenciling traditional motifs and designs on canvas. The weavers have invited experts to share their practice with the wider community. Their latest project is for the whole group to collectively weave a mat together. 

 

Project three: Kahukura Kollective  

A roopu of experienced Tai Tokerau (Northland) mainly Māori weavers have formed this collective for kākahu weaving. The group have intensively studied the Museum's kākahu collection, especially those from Tai Tokerau, to inform research and to collectively produce a single, significant kākahu based on their findings.  

 

Project four: Te Roopu Whatu Kakahu  

Wānanga have been held at Museum with this roopu of weavers from Whitianga, who are interested in the styles and techniques of kakahu from the rohe and their own individual iwi and whakapapa. The weavers have used these visits to draw upon the Museum’s collections to build knowledge, share and develop skills, and produce kākahu of their own based on this.  

 

 Project five: Mikehe Moriori Research 

A collaboration forged through another community project, the Moriori Weaving and Research project aims to examine and document Miheke Moriori and related taonga Māori and Pacific. This has been pursued through a haerenga beginning at Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland Museum and moving on to various libraries and museums across Aotearoa, including Puke Ariki, Te Papa Tongarewa, the National Library, Otago Museum, the Hocken Library and Canterbury Museum.  

 

Project 6: Ngā Whiri a Raukatauri 

Dr Awhina Tamarapa is using Te Aho Mutunga Kore to investigate textile use in taonga puoro and karetao (musical instruments and puppetry). In collaboration with renowned material culture expert Dante Bonica, Dr Tamarapa has researched Auckland Museum’s small but significant taonga puroro and karetao collection and used these findings to host a research and making wānanga in Hongoeka. 

 

Project 7: He Aho Tuwhiri ki te Ao mārama 

Adjacent to Awhina’s kaupapa is kaiako Tracey Patete’s research and fabrication practice into early tāniko techniques, and their potential hononga/connections into Pacific design and history. This research is being shared with her tauira to inform their own practices.  

 

Project 8: Kete Iti  

Maureen Lander has been working with weaving rōpu in Tai Tokerau,Tāmaki, Ngāmotu and Whanganui on a kete iti project (small woven bags). The Tai Tokerau and Tamaki rōpu have delved deeply into Auckland Museum’s large collection of kete iti, to research and be inspired to produce their own kete iti. A selection of these will be exhibited at the Govett Brewster Art Gallery in New Plymouth in mid 2025.   

 

Project 9: Te Aho o Rahiri 

Te Hemo Ata Henare has been using her kaupapa in Te Aho Mutunga Kore to open the door of the museum to Maunga Kura Toi tauira, connected to whanau, hapu and Iwi within Te Tai Tokerau. Each roopu have been intensively exploring a diverse range of the museum’s collection for their research into and production of textile based taonga for their marae and final year projects. 

 

Project 10: Mana Whenua: Mana Wahine: Mana Whariki 

Matekino Lawless and Christina Wirihana have been hosting marae based wānanga to explore and teach the significance of whāriki (woven mats), and their associated tikanga. This has included the storage and care of whāriki on marae, tauira (sample) fabrication to understand the practice of mahi whāriki, and the display/arrangement of whāriki in marae based on the event.  

 

Britomart Exhibition Project 

Te Aho Mutunga Kore has undertaken a broad collaboration with both our community groups and Māori and Pacific kaimahi at Auckland Museum to produce a public photographic exhibition in the Britomart Precinct. Around 30 community members and staff were invited to select taonga from the Musuem’s collection that they felt a personal or cultural hononga (connection) to. Photographs were taken of them holding or wearing these taonga, which were then displayed in large format outdoors at Britomart over the summer of 2023/2024. 

 

If you are part of a Māori or Pasifika community group who would like to be considered for participation in future Te Aho Mutunga Kore projects, we’d love to hear from you. Register your interest here and our team will be in touch. 

 

About our kaimahi

About our kaimahi

Meet our Te Aho Mutunga Kore team.

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Summer exhibition

Britomart Showcase

Summer exhibition

PAST EVENT

Te Aho Mutunga Kore have partnered with Britomart to showcase our Māori and Pasifika people and taonga, in an outdoor exhibition at the Britomart Pavilions.

Click through to view the full range of photographs taken for the exhibition, and learn about the people and taonga they feature. 

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Donate now

Continue the threads of knowledge

Every gift to Te Aho Mutunga Kore supports a space for sharing wisdom, exchanging stories, and nurturing treasured skills. Help to ensure the continuity of Māori and Pasifika textile traditions with your donation today.

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Keep in touch

Sign up to receive email updates about Te Aho Mutunga Kore, as this kaupapa progresses. We’ll share regular updates of the mahi each community group is undertaking.

Image: Te iriba n bobai, ornamental fan. Kiribati. AWMM. 2002.95.1; 55961. More information

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Te iriba n bobai, ornamental fan. Kiribati. AWMM. 2002.95.1; 55961. More information

This kaupapa is made possible with the significant and generous support of Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage