Digital Archive Project returns Taonga to Tūranga iwi

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.

This large collection was transferred by Ngā Taonga from old reels, cassettes and CDs into digital formats and it has now been returned to Tūranga FM where it will be shared with the three local iwi and rohe served by the station.

This project is part of a nation-wide Ngā Taonga managed programme which is focused on preserving and protecting unique records of Māori language and culture captured by iwi radio stations. The digitisation of iwi radio collections enables those stations to connect the content and local stories with those directly linked to the kōrero. The stations are then able to repackage the material for broadcast.

This national programme is made possible through funding from Te Māngai Pāho.

Gareth Seymour, Depositor Experience Manager – Poutaunaki Hunga Tuku at Ngā Taonga says “This is an important programme as it makes the material available digitally so local iwi can connect with their kōrero tuku iho now and into the future. The recordings include speakers who are no longer with us, meaning that through modern formats, their voices can still be heard by their whānau and future generations to come”.