Exhibition: Rust + Restoration – He Waikura He Whakauka

The journey to restore and preserve Thomas Henry Whetton’s work was showcased in Rust + Restoration | He Waikura He Whakauka, an exhibition that ran at Te Puna Foundation Gallery at the National Library Building.

When a stack of rusty, dust-covered film cans arrived at Ngā Taonga, it was a surprise to find much of the film inside was in great condition. The films were from the collection of Thomas H Whetton, freelance cameraman and inventor. Quality footage showing the immediate aftermath of the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake was a major highlight of his work. 

This is one example of the crucial work done by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, the audiovisual archive for Aotearoa.

The exhibition explored how Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision’s expert archivists preserved this and other taonga. It ran from 10 October 2019 to 20 March 2020. Thanks to all those who attended.

Ngā Taonga thanks Te Puna Foundation for their support of this exhibition.

Here is a quick recap of some parts of the exhibition

Learn more about our preservation work

We collect and catalogue film reels, video tapes, sound records, props and documents and store them in climate controlled vaults. Our experts work against time to preserve original nitrate film, television broadcast tapes and sound recordings, before they degrade. We digitally preserve audiovisual material to ensure that it stands the test of time for future generations.

Our recent audiovisual history could be lost forever. Let's ensure that hundreds of thousands of hours of New Zealand broadcasting remain accessible for future generations.

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