Every piece is a representation of, or directly associated with, a Maori ancestor and is considered of ancestral importance to the Maori iwi/tribal group from which it originated.
Many of our taonga belonged to politically significant rangatira, these chiefs from all across the country have played a role in key events that have informed our nation's history.
These riches and others in the collection are simply beautiful, many being famous works of art in their own right.
That we have acquired so many, collected for more than 150 years, makes our collection a true regional, national and international treasure.
About 60 per cent of our Taonga Maori is directly associated with Ngati Kahungunu.
Treasures such as the Pai Marire flag, flown in the battle of Omaranui, inspired me as a young artist, so now working with this taonga draws deep emotion.
So, too, does the taonga from other iwi such as the gold-furnished hei tiki of Ngati Toa rangatira Te Rauparaha, composer of the haka Ka Mate, and the Bible of Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki, of Rongowhakaata and founder of the Ringatu faith.
The several Lindauer paintings, hundreds of mere pounamu, carvings, toki and cloaks, along with the personal adornments, will take a long time to become knowledgeable about.
Taonga belonging to rangatira such as Hongi Hika, Te Ruki Kawiti, Patuone, to Ta Apirana Ngata, bring the past literally to hand.
But this is only one category of taonga. Precious items such as the many huia feathers, and our moa and teeth of kuri (the Maori dog) are grouped as "natural history".
Taonga from a more current context are grouped under other categories such as contemporary Maori art, with digital artefacts, photographs and other items falling under the social history collection.
Highlights of these, for me, are Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan's fashion collection and our beautiful Pania lamp.
However, the definition of taonga goes beyond artefacts.
Te Reo Maori and tikanga Maori are living taonga at MTG. Creating exhibitions and spaces that foster Te Reo and tikanga Maori are just as important as preserving an artefact from our past, as this also protects our future.
How this is achieved requires a dynamic design approach that encourages engagement, creating what is to me our greatest taonga – visitor experiences.
Interactions of the huge range of visitors are, to me, taonga too.
It's a tremendous pleasure to watch visitors researching items such as kiwi feather cloaks, working out how each was engineered, in turn giving an insight into character of the maker.
Satisfying, too, is witnessing the sheer joy so many have when they connect to a taonga through a personal whanau history.
In celebration of our stories and taonga we have exhibitions currently in development.
An exhibition on Pania is in the works and a special selection of our feather cloaks will be on display. Rongonui will be an exhibition that showcases the depth of history and sheer importance of our taonga at MTG Hawkes Bay.
Now the hard part of the job will be choosing which taonga to showcase.
• Michelle Lee is Curator Maori of the Museum Theatre Gallery (MTG) Hawke's Bay.
