Abseiler defaces Treaty exhibition at Te Papa in protest from National Iwi Chairs Forum. Video / Supplied
Te Papa’s leaders say they have heard the message of protesters who defaced its Treaty of Waitangi exhibition using a power tool and spray paint and have announced the museum will renew the display.
The protesters are part of a group called Te Waka Hourua, which has previously called for Te Papa to take down the English version of the Treaty of Waitangi which hangs across from Te Tiriti O Waitangi on level four of the national museum.
Haimana Hirini, a spokesperson for the group, has said the English version “misleads visitors” by making them think it is a translation of Te Tiriti.
“It most certainly is not. While Te Tiriti affirms Māori sovereignty, the English document says it was ceded,” Hirini said.
”We have heard the message of this protest action, and we have heard the many and varied responses to it.”
A man abseiled from the roof of Te Papa and used an angle grinder to black out parts of the exhibition. Photo / National Iwi Chairs Forum
Johnston and Hakiwai said reimagining the exhibition would take time and include conversations with the community.
“We are committed to a process that involves communities and creates a space for authentic, honest and informed conversations about Te Tiriti o Waitangi.”
The Signs of a Nation exhibition has been at the museum since it opened in 1998. It has been changed several times but this would be the first full renewal of the area.
Georgina Campbell is a Wellington-based reporter who has a particular interest in local government, transport, and seismic issues. She joined the Herald in 2019 after working as a broadcast journalist.
