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Recent Media Releases
Reduced work week fosters wellbeing and belonging at Ngā Taonga
26 January 2023
In February Ngā Taonga, New Zealand’s audiovisual archive, will permanently move to an innovative, highly flexible way of working to improve staff wellbeing and foster an inclusive and whānau-friendly workplace.
Happy Holidays from Ngā Taonga
On behalf of everyone here at Nga Taonga, we’d like to wish you a happy holiday season and some well-deserved time off. For this year’s festive video, we delved into the recently preserved films of Tauranga amateur filmmaker Norman Blackie (1899-1993).
Changes to the Ngā Taonga Board of Trustees
12 December 2022
At their most recent meeting, the Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision Board confirmed some changes to Board membership.
Culturally significant audiovisual taonga preserved in cross-archival digitisation project
14 November 2022
An event celebrating the successful launch of the Utaina project is taking place on 17 November in Wellington. The event will be attended by Minister of Internal Affairs Hon Jan Tinetti, Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Hon Kiritapu Allan, and Memnon CEO, Heidi Shakespeare.
Ministers visit Motutawa Avalon facility
On Wednesday we were thrilled to welcome Associate Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage Kiritapu Allan, Minister of Education Chris Hipkins, MP for Hutt South Ginny Andersen, and guests to our Motutawa-Avalon facility.
International archival service expertise helps New Zealand preserve its audiovisual taonga
New Zealand’s archival agencies have signed an agreement with international archiving specialist Memnon to digitally preserve precious sound and video recordings.
Holiday wishes from Ngā Taonga
We hope you have a great summer.
Audiovisual content secured for future generations
11 November 2021
Thousands of hours of Māori content will be preserved as part of a new strategic alliance between Māori Television and Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.
Ngā Taonga preserves PATU! and launches new exhibition for the 40th anniversary of the Springbok Tour
23 July 2021
Ngā Taonga has recently completed a major project to digitally preserve PATU!, the definitive documentary about the 1981 Springbok Tour.
New online exhibition – Free Radical: Len Lye at 120
6 July 2021
We're launching a new online exhibition of the work of Len Lye.
Ngā Taonga Releases its BIM
22 February 2021
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision has released its Briefing to the Incoming Ministers (BIM) equivalent, Ko Ngā Taonga Tēnei to the public.
Best holiday wishes from Ngā Taonga
18 December 2020
After an unprecedented year, we hope you will have some fun and relaxing times with those you care about over the holiday season.
Te Awe Kōtuku ki Ngā Taonga
15 December 2020
Ngā Taonga is delighted to be delivering three important initiatives that will preserve critically endangered Mātauranga Māori as part of the Mātauranga Māori Te Awe Kōtuku programme being led by Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
New preservation storage facility to safeguard our taonga
11 December 2020
A new specialised storage facility in Levin will help to meet the growing needs of Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, the National Library of New Zealand and Archives New Zealand.
Ngā Taonga remembers Bill Gosden
9 November 2020
We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Bill Gosden, who played such an important part in the development of Aotearoa New Zealand’s film culture over the past 40 years.
Taunaha Whenua – Naming the Land
20 July 2020
Tumu Whakarae Honiana Love gave an extremely popular oral history of mana whenua place names in the Wellington region. Watch the presentation online.
Ngā Taonga welcomes Budget funding for crucial project
21 May 2020
Further to last week’s Budget announcement, on Tuesday 19 May the Minister for Internal Affairs, the Hon Tracey Martin, released further Budget 20 details confirming increased investment in the archival sector.
Cataloguing the historic Spectrum series
20 March 2020
A special project to catalogue the historic Spectrum series is being carried out by Ngā Taonga staff who are unable to carry out their usual work due to COVID-19.
World War Two New Zealand audio discs given world heritage status
17 February 2020
A collection of nearly 1,600 audio discs made for New Zealand radio during World War Two and now preserved in the archive of Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision has been recognised by the United Nations as taonga of significant cultural value.
Summer holiday greetings from Ngā Taonga
17 December 2019
Watch our compilation film of summer holiday memories - Me pārekareka katoa ngā mahi Kirihimete ā ngā wiki e tū mai nei, me te tau hou hoki!
Ngā Taonga appoints new Tumu Whakarae - Chief Executive
28 November 2019
The Board of Trustees of Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision has appointed Honiana Love as the archive’s new Tumu Whakarae - Chief Executive.
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision releases a new five year Strategic Plan
7 November 2019
The new 2019–2024 Strategic Plan has been informed by work undertaken since 2016, when the first iteration of the plan was developed. It reflects a sharpening of focus to support the Archive’s aspiration to be a sustainable world-class audiovisual archive.
Historic film rescued from rusty tins showcased in new exhibition
7 October 2019
Never before seen film footage of the 1931 Napier earthquake is a highlight of a new exhibition opening on 11 October at the National Library in Wellington.
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision moves to the National Library building.
17 September 2019
We have been looking forward to this moment, not just since December '18 but for several years, ever since our building at Taranaki Street was assessed as earthquake-prone. Our priority since then has been to find safe and secure accommodation for our Wellington staff and we are very pleased that the risk has been removed as completely as it can be, says Honiana Love.
Ngā Taonga welcomes Archives New Zealand development
15 August 2019
A new Archives New Zealand building in Wellington could also accommodate Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision - a welcome acknowledgement of the importance of our audiovisual taonga, says Honiana Love.
Anzac Sight Sound website marks Versailles centenary
28 June 2019
New film and sound recordings have been added to the Anzac Sight Sound website (anzacsightsound.org) to coincide with the centenary of the Treaty of Versailles this week (28 June), contributing to the final phase of World War One commemorations.
Interim Chief Executive of Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision appointed
14 June 2019
The Board of Trustees of Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision has appointed Honiana Love to act as interim Chief Executive following the resignation of Rebecca Elvy.
Ngā Taonga Chief Executive resigns
6 June 2019
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision Chief Executive Rebecca Elvy has resigned from her position to take up the role of Chief Executive at the New Zealand Human Rights Commission.
Relocation update
24 May 2019
The relocation of Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision’s Taranaki Street office to the National Library building has been rescheduled for Spring 2019.
Summer Holiday Wishes from Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision
17 December 2018
Kia tipu ōu ake mahara hou mō te Kirihimete e tū mai nei!
We hope you make your own great Kiwi summer memories these holidays!
Best wishes from the Board and all of us at Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision Wellington office relocating
10 December 2018
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision’s Wellington office will be moving in Autumn 2019 from its current location in Taranaki Street to the National Library building on Molesworth Street.
Jane Paul, 19 January 1958 – 13 November 2018
15 November 2018
It is with deep sadness that Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision reports the death of our colleague Jane Paul who passed away on Tuesday 13 November after a short and sudden illness.
Siapo Cinema: Oceania Film Festival 2018
27 September 2018
The fifth annual Siapo Cinema: Oceania Film Festival returns to Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision from 12-20 October 2018. The festival programme showcases vibrant stories of the Pacific on film with a range of Pacific features, short films and unique events.
New exhibition for Suffrage 125 Launched
18 September 2018
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision has created an online exhibition celebrating 125 of our most illustrious, revolutionary, courageous, inspirational, empowering, luminous, innovative and influential women.
Sale of Wellington Property
25 June 2018
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision has sold its Wellington building located at 84 Taranaki Street. Under the terms of the Sale and Purchase Agreement Ngā Taonga is leasing back the building.
TVNZ Project Commences
22 June 2018
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision has announced that it has commenced a project to put the TVNZ collection it acquired responsibility for in 2014, online.
Image: ONE News presenters Jim Hickey, Wendy Petrie, Simon Dallow and Andrew Saville (TVNZ, 2013)
Maioha – Te Reo o te Māreikura
14 June 2018
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision has announced the launch of Maioha – Te Reo o te Māreikura, an exhibition that profiles an important collection of radio interviews with Māori women, originally broadcast in 1993.
Moana with Sound
23 April 2018
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, in partnership with Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust, has announced that it is bringing the exceptional and historically important 1926 film Moana with Sound to the Māngere Arts Centre, Auckland in May.
Te Reo Pāpāho: the Story of Te Reo on Air
4 April 2018
The third of four exhibitions from Ngā Taonga Kōrero, the archive of RNZ’s Māori radio programmes, Te Reo Pāpāho profiles the broadcasters who have championed te reo Māori on radio.
3rd NZ Bicycle Film Festival Takes Off
20 February 2018
A fresh selection of films for the 'wheel world' is gearing up to take off in Wellington from 7 to 17 March 2018. The third New Zealand Bicycle Film Festival is devoted to bike riders of all persuasions, from hard-core mountain bikers to leisurely eBikers and their support crews.
New Trustees Announced
20 February 2018
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision has announced the appointment of four new members to its Board of Trustees.
New Online Exhibition Launched: Te Hokinga Mai o Te Rua Tekau mā Waru
23 January 2018
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision has announced the launch of the second of four online exhibitions made up of material drawn from Ngā Taonga Kōrero collection – the archive of RNZ’s Māori radio programmes.
Broadcaster Dr Haare Williams in New Year's Honours
15 January 2018
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision would like to acknowledge Dr Haare Williams a veteran broadcaster and academic who was recognised in this year’s New Year’s Honours as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori, the arts and education.
Merry Christmas from Ngā Taonga
19 December 2017
Kia harikoa katoa tātou i tēnei rā – nā Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision. See you in 2018!
Here's a festive little number combining two treasures from our archives: a personal record filmed by Cyril Townsend in Naenae, Christmas 1955, and a recording of the Christmas carol Tūpono Mai – While Shepherds Watched sung in Māori and English by the children of Hiruhārama School, just outside Ruatōrea in 1939.
Digital Archive Project returns Taonga to Tūranga iwi
30 November 2017
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision has preserved and digitised over 354 hours of a unique and important sound collection originally produced by 2016 Māori Radio Station of the Year, Gisborne's Tūranga FM. The taonga in the collection is rich in the dialect and language of Tūranga iwi Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Rongowhakaata and Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki.
Kaleidoscope inscribed into UNESCO Memory of the World New Zealand documentary heritage register
30 November 2017
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision is very pleased to announce that the seminal arts documentary television series, Kaleidoscope has been inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World New Zealand documentary heritage register.
The generosity of the late Moana Whaanga nee Manley is acknowledged by Ngā Taonga
17 November 2017
Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision join the rest of Aotearoa in farewelling the first beauty queen of Māori descent.
Te Pūtaketanga o Ngā Taonga Kōrero
29 August
Annoucing the first of four exhibitions to showcase outstanding examples of oratory and Māori performing arts contained in Ngā Taonga Kōrero collection – the archive of RNZ’s Māori radio programmes.
Siapo Cinema 2017
23 August 2017
Celebrate the people and culture of the Pacific with a vibrant festival of feature films, short films, music, panel discussions and archival film compilations along with live performances and creative activities.
The Return of Soup & a Seat
Fridays, 25 August - 20 October
Starting 25 August the popular Soup & a Seat returns to our Wellington cinema. Every Friday lunchtime through to 20 October Wellingtonians can enjoy a tasty cup of soup and a mind-nourishing documentary for only $10.
Film in the Colony Registration Opens
12 June
Registration is now open for this two-day symposium presented by the Centre for Research on Colonial Culture, University of Otago and Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.
Matariki: Tau Hou 2017
24 May 2017
Starting 31 May and running through to the end of July Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision is presenting a programme of twenty-eight documentaries and feature films centred around Matariki.
A Provocative Season of Politics on Film
3 May through to 27 May
The personalities, issues, antics and intrigues that have often made politics over the decades such a great spectacle are all on show in this upcoming film season from Ngā Taonga which runs from 3 May through to 27 May at the Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision cinema in Wellington.
Sellebration – 90 years of Kiwi ads online
10 April 2017
From brogues to broadband, New Zealand commercials since the 1920s are now online in a collection that anyone can freely view and hear.
NZ Bicycle Film Festival Ready to Roll in Wellington
15 Feb 2017
A festival of films devoted to the bicycle and all who ride is gearing up to be the torque of Wellington from 28 March to 8 April 2017.
Historic Kapa Haka Recordings to be Broadcast at Te Matatini
10 Feb 2017
Connecting the past and present, the harmonies and kapa haka of past decades will be broadcast alongside the live performances of 2017’s Te Matatini Festival in Hastings, 22 to 26 February.
Kiwi Summer Music Film Festival
9 Jan 2017
You may be back at work, but in the evenings you can trip back to the hippie fests of the 1970s, the dance parties of the 1990s, the music videos we loved, and the great pop, rock and reggae stories of New Zealand. Wellington, 11 Jan - 24 Feb.
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision Changes Secure NZ’s Audiovisual Taonga
9 Dec 2016
Changes to Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision will secure how we collect, share, and care for New Zealand's audiovisual taonga for generations to come..
Film in the Colony Symposium
2 Dec 2016
We invite papers that investigate the cross-cultural processes of film production in the colonial context, for a July 2017 symposium at Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision Wellington.
Lifting the Bonnet on Kiwi Motorsport's Screen Heritage
24 Nov 2016
From the golden era of Kiwi legends such as Bruce McLaren, NZ’s motorsport film heritage is coming out of the archive and onto the screen during December at Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision’s Wellington cinema.
Earthquake Update
15 Nov 2016
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision Wellington, Avalon and Christchurch have been assessed as sound following the earthquakes. All of our branches are open as usual.
Preserving a Photo Album
11 Nov 2016
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision has digitally preserved and published online a fragile photo album of New Zealand projectionists and cinemas dating back to the 1930s.
Debate on Digital Age Censorship
10 Nov 2016
Next week Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision will host a public panel discussion in Wellington, that tackles the challenges of censorship in an age of high speed internet and international digital distribution.
CENSORED
3 Nov 2016
A Wellington season of banned films and debate marks 100 years of film censorship in NZ.
Meet the First Lady Mayor
27 Oct 2016
Ngā Taonga archivists have unravelled the mystery of New Zealand’s second-oldest surviving film – and oldest complete film. Watch the film and learn more.
Rare, Restored and Not Seen for 116 Years
21 Oct 2016
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision is marking UNESCO’s World Day for Audiovisual Heritage (27 October) with a week of newly restored and rarely seen film.
Films That Shaped New Zealand
30 Sept 2016
To celebrate 120 years of cinema, a season of iconic New Zealand feature films, plus films from the new technology and artform's first tour of NZ in 1896, will screen at Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision Wellington this October.
The Battle of the Somme
7 Sept 2016
On 15 September, 1916, NZ soldiers fought their first major campaign on the Western Front. To mark the centenary, Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision Wellington will screen The Battle of the Somme, the ground-breaking 1916 documentary that changed the way the public perceived war and cinema.
Moana draws Pasifika Powerhouse
6 Sept 2016
A 90-year-old film of Samoa connected Pasifika filmmakers, artists, academics and students in debate at Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision Wellington.
Olympic Fever
12 Aug 2016
Two very different Olympic stories from Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision’s collection of New Zealand feature films screen for Wellington cinema audiences between 17 and 25 August.
A Landmark in NZ Film and News
10 Aug 2016
2016 is the anniversary of a landmark moment for the New Zealand film and news industries. It is 75 years since the National Film Unit (NFU) was set up to screen newsreels for NZ cinema audiences.
Bringing a 90-Year-Old Film of Samoa Back to Life
26 July 2016
A rare chance to see and discuss an exceptional film, Moana with Sound (1926), in Wellington this September.
Soup & A Seat 2016
18 July 2016
Join us in Wellington for cinema condensed for your lunch break. Savour a steaming bowl of homemade soup, served with a series of tasty kiwi documentaries.
First Public Screening of Restored Film Brings Past to Life
18 July 2016
New Zealand’s first public screening of the newly restored 1921 film Scenes of Māori Life on the Whanganui River is tomorrow night (Tuesday 19 July), 6pm at the Whanganui Regional Museum.
An Audiovisual Archive for all New Zealanders
12 July 2016
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision has launched its new direction as the audiovisual archive for all New Zealanders.
New Trustees Announced
5 July 2016
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision has announced two new members on its board of trustees.
Remembering Eruera Te Whiti Nia
29 June 2016
It is with sadness we acknowledge the passing of Eruera (Ted) Te Whiti Nia, artist and filmmaker who died in Rarotonga on 9 June 2016.
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori – Māori Language Week 2016
27 June 2016
Celebrate te reo Māori in dramatic and outstanding film at our cinema in Wellington.
Returning to Bastion Point
23 May 2016
Thirty-eight years after one of the most important protest events in New Zealand’s history, newly restored footage of the Bastion Point occupation and eviction will return to the people and place it was filmed.
Matariki Pūrākaunui | Matariki Stories 2016
23 May 2016
Join us in Wellington over the month of June for a feast of inspiring, thought-provoking – and a little bit spooky – Māori films and documentaries.
Māori and Pasifika Collection Goes International
20 May 2016
A showcase of Māori and Pasifika films from Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision’s collection will reach an international audience in Guam during the Festival of Pacific Arts 2016, from May 22 to June 4.
Siapo Cinema 2016
22 April 2016
Join us for Siapo Cinema 2016, a festival of moving images by, for and about Pasifika people and communities here and abroad. Wellington 10 - 21 May.
Wellington Access Radio Deposit Historical Audio Collection
6 April 2016
Wellington Access Radio is celebrating its 35th birthday and the archiving of its historical audio collection at Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision this April.
Draft Strategic Plan Discussion
5 April 2016
The Board of Trustees of Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision warmly invite you to a public discussion of our Draft Strategic Plan 2016-2024. We want your feedback on our vision and priorities for the next eight years. Please join us at one of four sessions to be held in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
Gearing Up for Inaugural New Zealand Bicycle Film Festival
16 Mar 2016
The NZBFF launches in Wellington on April 5 and is crammed full of bicycle-related events. Workshops, panel discussions, competitions and screenings for schools have been programmed alongside internationally acclaimed movies and, of course, the best two-wheeler reels from the archive’s collection.
Changes to Opening Hours
1 Mar 2016
Changes to opening hours at our Wellington medialibrary and Auckland branch.
Reel Life in Rural New Zealand
1 Feb 2016
Films celebrating the Otago / Southland region will be screened 13 - 18 February in four woolsheds on Heritage New Zealand listed historic sites / places in Oamaru, Balclutha, Five Rivers and Bannockburn.
For King & Country
26 Jan 2016
For King & Country: New Zealand’s First World War on Film is a screening programme, available for loan by educational institutions, arts and cultural organisations, libraries, community groups and film societies situated within Aotearoa New Zealand.
2015
Read news stories from 2015.