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By Atutahi Potaka-Dewes & Kahumako Rāmeka, Te Rito Journalism Cadets
A collection of indigenous artefacts, including tāonga Māori, have returned to Aotearoa to be sold, ensuring they "never leave home's shores again".
The largest auction house in Aotearoa, Webb's, is displaying its "Material Culture" live auction of expatriated tāonga at its Auckland premises next week.
Webb's director of decorative arts Ben Erren says the tāonga were exported decades ago, and returning them to Aotearoa is an important and necessary task.
"It has been an incredible privilege to have the opportunity to repatriate these important tāonga. These items left our shores many decades ago. They have been traded and held in collections in other parts of the world," Erren said.
The collection consists of 53 tāonga, including carvings, weapons, stone objects and textiles, from many locations including Congo, Ivory Coast, India, and the Pacific.
The tāonga have been housed in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, the UK, and the US.
Erren says Webb's has worked closely with iwi in upholding protocols for the safe return and keeping of tāonga and working in with New Zealand Culture and Heritage to ensure the tāonga is registered and will remain in Aotearoa.
Tāonga in the Material Culture auction are now registered as culturally significant and each piece is given a "Y" registration number - like a tracking number.
"We've worked with Auckland War Memorial for over two months now, and the museum is aware of who currently owns them," Erren told the Herald.
Bearing a Y registration, buyers must be licensed artefact collectors, which allows the museum to keep records of both tāonga and buyers.
Taonga items up for auction. Photo / Supplied
That means the taonga can never be exported again, without explicit permission from the Ministry of Culture and Heritage.
Erren says getting consent is improbable: "Given their cultural significance, it is extremely unlikely that permission would be granted. These taonga are here to stay."
Determining the value of ancient artefacts requires careful consideration and Erren says their pricing reflects what is seen in the New Zealand market.
"Tāonga are incredibly precious to New Zealand. The prices are indicative of what we believe they would achieve here in New Zealand."
A carved pou Whakaawe has the highest estimated value among the Māori artefacts at $18,000 to $30,000.
Pou Whakaawe for auction with an estimated value of $18,000 to $30,000. Photo / Supplied
Money from the auction will be given to the vendors that held previous ownership of the tāonga and Erren says all they want now is for the tāonga to be cared for and treated respectfully.
When asked why the tāonga aren't simply given back, Erren said it's inevitable to question the history of how the tāonga ended up overseas.
"But the simple fact of the matter is that they did," he said.
"The person that owns them overseas at some point, paid money in good faith for this item. And for that reason, they are not simply going to give it back."
Erren said Webb's role was to facilitate the transition of the pieces back to Aotearoa.
He sends an open invitation to anyone interested in engaging with the "truly wonderful" tāonga, as they will be on display at the Webb's Auckland premises and available to view online over the weekend.
"They are art forms very much so in their own right. And, you know, it's a privilege to be able to ensure that they are going to remain here in Aotearoa."
