Hāmama Returns Home

Rānana Marae Reservation Trust, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, and Te Atawhai o Te Ao

After 40 years of dialogue, Hāmama, the tekoteko representing a Ngāti Hine tupuna, was formally returned to Rānana Marae by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa on Saturday 15 November 2025.

Hapū descendants, Whanganui iwi and community members gathered to celebrate the historic homecoming of their ancestor. Since being acquired by the Dominion Museum in 1912 from J Thompson, Hāmama has been part of the national collection for over 100 years.

“As a hapū, we have been in discussion and negotiation with Te Papa for the return of our tupuna for such a long time. Seeing him removed from the van and carried onto our marae was incredibly emotional for us as a hapū, and for all who were present on the day,” said Dr Rāwiri Tinirau, Director of Te Atawhai o Te Ao and Chair of the Rānana Marae Reservation Trust.

Carved in the 1870s–1880s, the tekoteko once stood proudly at the apex of Huriwhenua, the whare rūnanga that stood at Kahotea, at Rānana on the Whanganui River. The whare rūnanga was commissioned by Taitoko Te Rangihiwinui (Major Kemp) and given the carving style of Hāmama, it is presumed that he was carved by Hori Pukehika and Te Ture Poutama.

Hāmama remained misidentified as being from Upper Mohaka Hawke’s Bay, until a chance encounter in 1986, when Ngāti Hine descendant Rachel Tinirau and her whānau visited the National Museum to view taonga. Instantly recognising the distinct Whanganui carving style of the tekoteko—notably his bulbous eyes, bent legs, and five fingers holding the tongue—she knew he belonged to Whanganui.

Further kōrero amongst hapū members, along with historic photographs and research, confirmed that the carving was indeed the tekoteko from Huriwhenua. Over the next four decades, letters and requests from the Whanganui Māori Trust Board, Rānana Māori Committee and Rānana Marae Reservation Trust sought the return of Hāmama.

"The reason Te Papa was created was because we (Māori) were on the outside looking in — we had a distant relationship. There was a very privileged class of representation, which was a similar experience to what was happening throughout the world at that time,” said Kaihautū Māori Co-Leader of Te Papa, Arapata Hakiwai.

In 2019, Hāmama was returned to Whanganui through a long-term loan agreement between Te Papa and the Whanganui Regional Museum, as part of Ngā Wai Honohono – Bound by Water exhibition. Dr Tinirau and the team at Te Atawhai o Te Ao reignited the repatriation process as part of the Whakamanu Research Project, and the pathway to bring Hāmama home to Rānana was able to progress.

"We're really grateful to Te Atawhai o Te Ao and Dr Rāwiri Tinirau, as part of the Whakamanu Project, for undertaking the provenance research. Provenance research in museums is really important. It’s sad to say that many of the histories of taonga in museums — tērā pea, kei te moe tonu ō rātou hītori, ō rātou whakapapa — and that’s because there really hasn’t been the commitment to actually address that," said Arapata Hakiwai.

“I want to mihi to all of you—all those before you, all those iwi, all those hapū, all those whānau, all those experts and artists, and all those we as the Museum have learned from over the years. You have helped us change from the kind of museum we once were, to the Museum we strive to be today: one that does not seek to hold, but a museum that seeks to send home,” said Te Papa Chief Executive Courtney Johnston during the return ceremony. Te Papa has a commitment in conducting provenance research and reconnecting people with their taonga.

As part of Hāmama’s homecoming, Te Papa also gifted a mere pounamu, named ‘Te Hokinga Mai’, in recognition of this significant event.

“To see the wishes of our people fulfilled, and for Hāmama to now take his place in our wharepuni Te Morehu here at Rānana, has been an auspicious occasion—one that opens the door for the return of many more of our taonga who are yearning for home,” said Dr Tinirau.

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