Nau mai ki te kawerongo o Ngā Taonga – welcome to our newsletter

In this issue we show off some Ngā Taonga-inspired wearable art, and share details of some special Heritage Weeks screenings of vintage local footage in Christchurch and Wellington. Aucklanders also have a significant screening to look forward to, of Bastion Point: Day 507 by Merata Mita. We also give a quick wrap up on media coverage of our exciting search for the missing early films of Robert Steele.

Sound, Vision and the Closet of Curiosities

Year 13 students from Wellington's Queen Margaret College have been working on pieces of wearable art. Check out our interview with Charlotte, who drew inspiration from our collections for her artwork Sound and Vision – it combines her interests in home movies, colour film and 1950s style. 

The work will be on display in the National Library as part of the exhibition Closet of Curiosities, running 15 – 29 October.

Special Bastion Point: Day 507 screening

In collaboration with their exhibition The Medium is the Message, Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision and the Gus Fisher Gallery present this special screening of Bastion Point: Day 507 followed by an audience discussion with Sharon Hawke of Ngāti Whātua. The event is free, but you will need to RSVP to secure your seat. 

Date: 24 October 
Time: 2pm 
Address: Gus Fisher Gallery, 74 Shortland Street, Auckland

Kua hono atu a Ngā Taonga ki te Whare Toi Gus Fisher, otiia ki tana whakaaturanga The Medium is the Message hei whakaatu i te kiriata Bastion Point Day 507. Whai muri ka kōrerorero te hunga mātakitaki me Sharon Hawke o Ngāti Whātua. He utu kore tēnei kaupapa, engari ia me rēhita ka tika kia whai tūru ai.

Te Rā: 24 Whiringa-a-nuku
Te Wā: Rua karaka i te ahiahi
Te Wāhi: Te Whare Toi o Gus Fisher, 74 Te Rori o Hotereni, Akarana

Heritage Weeks

Heritage Weeks and Festivals are a great opportunity for audiences to engage with the special archival material held by Ngā Taonga. We have a couple of exciting events coming up to mark Wellington and Christchurch's respective Heritage Weeks. 

• Wellington As We Were takes a tour of iconic sections of the city – from the seat of Government to the coolest little capital. Screening at the National Library on 27 October. 
• Christchurch As We Were has a special focus on how filmmakers told the story of Christchurch Ōtautahi and its people. Screening at Tūranga Central Library on 4 November.

He kaupapa pai ngā Wiki Taonga Tuku Iho me ngā Hui Taurima e honohono ai ngā hunga mātakitaki ki ngā tino taonga kei Ngā Taonga. E rua ā mātou kaupapa ihiihi e tū mai nei hei whakanui i te Wiki Taonga Tuku Iho a Te Whanganui-a-Tara, a Ōtautahi hoki.

• Māu a Te Whanganui-a-Tara i ngā tau ki muri e tipitipi ki ngā pito rongonui o te taonenui – Mai i te Whare Mīere ki te tino taone. Ka whakaaturia ki te Puna Māturanga, 27 o Whiringa-a-nuku
• Kia anga te titiro ki Ōtautahi i ngā tau ki muri, ki ngā mahi a ngā Kaikiriata hei whakakōrero i ngā kōrero mō Ōtautahi me tōna iwi. Ka whakaaturia ki te Whare Pukapuka o Tūranga, ā te 4 o Whiringa-a-rangi

Searching for missing movies

Our recent story The Case of the Missing Movies had readers scrambling and tips flying in. Though we're yet to solve this mystery, we'll have a follow-up post in the future about what we've learnt and new theories. 

The story had significant media coverage. There was a good overview from Stuff, and RNZ's Standing Room Only spoke to some of those involved. The story was also reprinted on The Spinoff. Many thanks to all readers who have already got in touch with tips and suggestions; if you still have information to share please let us know! 

Ngā Taonga on social media

If you're a social media user, make sure to follow us on:

Each day we share unique recordings from our collections, behind-the-scenes stories, and details about projects and upcoming events.

• Our remarkably popular Facebook post about Auckland on Wheels captured life in the city's tram workshops and on the tracks. Watch out for more tram-centric content soon.
• 🐘 Elephants might not be native to Aotearoa but that hasn't stopped many visiting our shores. In addition to zoos and circuses, Timaru in 1963 had them racing in the streets! Listen to this surprising series of clips Sarah Johnston shared on RNZ's Afternoons with Jesse Mulligan.
• Two of our most popular online items cover opposite ends of the country. Karanga Hokianga ki o Tamariki reports on a 1979 gathering of faith leaders at Panguru on the northern Hokianga Harbour. 85th Anniversary of Half Moon Bay School follows a 1960 reunion of students on Stewart Island.

• Congratulations to Sue from Waimate who won the DVD prize pack in our previous issue! Keep your eye on the next newsletter for another chance to win.
• It's election season! Vote.nz has all the information you need ✔️✔️ You can also check out heaps of political ads from years gone by on our online catalogue.
• Designer Dries van Noten's latest season is inspired by Len Lye, with the colours and motion beautifully captured. Ngā Taonga cares for Lye's films and provides copies to art galleries around the world. Stay tuned for more Lye content online – we're also working on a blog post diving into more about how this project came together.

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