Life on board a 2NZEF troop ship: cramped, concerts and “Crossing the Line”

Some of the first recordings sent back to New Zealand for radio broadcasts in late 1940 give some insight into life on board the troop ship on which the Broadcasting Unit was travelling, as part of the Third Echelon of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force.

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Matariki of Many People

This year Ngā Taonga has prepared another video in celebration of the first Matariki Holiday on 24 June 2022, Matariki Hunga Nui – Matariki of Many People. This is a 15-minute audio-visual programme focusing on the star of the Matariki cluster; Pōhutukawa.There are also two versions of this programme, both in te reo Māori and English, to facilitate the two audiences (reo speaking and non-reo speaking).

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Matariki Hunga Nui

I tēnei tau, hei whakanui i te mātahi o te tau hou ka whakaputangia e mātou tēnei whakaaturanga a Matariki Hunga Nui. E aro pū ana tēnei whakaaturanga ki te whetū tapu a Pōhutukawa, hei whakanui i ētehi tokoono kua whetūrangitia. Ka 15 mineti te roa mō te whakaaturanga, he reorua hoki ki te reo Māori me te reo Pākehā.

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Introducing the Norm Hatch Collection

Between June 1942 and November 1943, around 21,000 US Marines arrived in the Wellington region to prepare for or recover from combat in the Pacific. They were among about 50,000 American servicemen who would be posted in New Zealand during World War 2, an event that would have a lasting impact on local culture.  

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