He whakapapa kōrero, he whenua kura
Talking about our past, to create a better future

Pānui 10 - May 2017

Dame Patsy Reddy, Governor-General of New Zealand and the Acting Prime Minister, Hon Paula Bennett, arrive at the National Library of New Zealand for the official opening of the new He Tohu exhibition on Friday 19 May.

Visitors learn about our founding documents in ways they have never been able to before.

Above, among the first visitors to He Tohu was Hunt for the Wilderpeople star Julian Dennison, seen here looking at the Waitangi sheet of the Treaty of Waitangi in the document room.

Newly opened He Tohu exhibition acclaimed “an amazing experience“

Governor-General: visiting He Tohu should be a rite of New Zealand citizenship

After almost three years in development, as a partnership between the Crown and Māori, the He Tohu permanent exhibition is now open in the National Library of New Zealand, Wellington.

In a stunning ceremony on 19 May, the Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy, declared He Tohu officially open. She was accompanied by the Acting Prime Minister, Hon Paula Bennett, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Hon Peter Dunne, and members of the Iwi Leader Partner Group who had worked with Mr Dunne, giving strategic direction and guidance to the exhibition’s development.

Said the Governor-General:  ”My hope is that in the years to come, visits to the birthplace of the Treaty, Te Kongahu: Museum of Waitangi – and here to the National Library to see He Tohu – will be regarded as rites of citizenship for all
New Zealanders.”

Said Department of Internal Affairs CEO Colin MacDonald: “He Tohu is an amazing experience, which allows New Zealanders to engage with the constitutional documents that shape our nation”.

These documents are:

• 1835 He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni – Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand
• 1840 Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty of Waitangi
• 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition – Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine.

National Librarian Bill Macnaught signs the visitors’ scroll at the opening of the He Tohu exhibition. 

Dame Patsy Reddy, Governor-General of New Zealand and the Acting Prime Minister, Hon Paula Bennett, arrive at the National Library of New Zealand for the official opening of the new He Tohu exhibition on Friday 19 May.

National Librarian Bill Macnaught – guiding the He Tohu experience

When Bill Macnaught became National Librarian in 2011, it immediately occurred to him that the magnificent National Library of New Zealand building  opposite Parliament “had a fabulous space for the Treaty of Waitangi and our other founding documents to be presented in a powerful way”.

Six years later, that vision is a reality. With the May opening of the acclaimed He Tohu permanent exhibition, Bill and his staff are now focussed on an important new challenge.

“The development and opening of the He Tohu exhibition is a huge achievement by many over several years, but for us at the National Library it is just the beginning.

“With He Tohu open, our role is to provide great learning opportunities: through an on-going programme of educational activity at the National Library, and throughout the country through our Services to Schools online and teacher-based outreach services.

“My vision is that the ground floor of the National Library is regularly full of visitors to He Tohu. In particular, with children and school groups from throughout Aotearoa.

“We want people to leave with a much stronger sense of the importance of these constitutional documents to New Zealand today. Some people will be moved, all visitors will be better informed.”

Bill is passionate about the He Tohu experience being available to school children, no matter where they live. To support the exhibition, a range of learning resources is available to teachers online. These resources have been developed by learning specialists at the National Library and are supported by Services to Schools teams throughout the country.

Bill is immensely proud of the National Library and the opportunity it presents for all young New Zealanders to experience the He Tohu exhibition and learn about the documents that shape our nation and who we are as a people. 

He Tohu is presented by the National Library of New Zealand and Archives New Zealand, both of which are part of the Department of Internal Affairs. The documents remain under the guardianship and care of the Chief Archivist and Archives New Zealand.

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For further information, please go to dia.govt.nz/Archive-Exhibition-Project
or contact hetohu@dia.govt.nz