On this page you’ll find links to media coverage of Tuia 250 during the commemoration and Voyage in 2019.

What a year

Accept the ‘Tuia Challenge’ this Waitangi Day

All New Zealanders are invited to accept the ‘Tuia Challenge’ this Waitangi Day 2020, say Tuia 250 Co-Chairs Dame Jenny Shipley and Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr.
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What a year

What a year! We wrap up 2019 in Marlborough

The Endeavour replica and Tuia 250 flotilla arrived in Picton. Tōtaranui 250 Trust co-chairman Raymond Smith said the journey had "bound us together".
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Welcome to Tuia flotilla

Tuia 250's lasting legacy

It's had moments of controversy along the way, but committee co-chair Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr is confident it will be remembered for the right reasons.
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Mahia scene

Tuia 250 welcomed to Māhia in style

The Tuia 250 flotilla was welcomed in style to the final stop of a two and half month long voyage at Māhia Peninsula today by local iwi Rongomaiwahine.
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Flotilla vessels

Tuia 250 has created 'an unstoppable shift'

Dame Jenny Shipley says the programme has been a huge success which has created a shift for people to embrace the country's bicultural history.
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Mahi tahi unites Tuia 250 flotilla

Mahi tahi unites Tuia 250 flotilla

The co-chair of Tuia 250 commemorations says there has been a huge amount of mahi tahi and sharing among the flotilla.
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Tuia 250 flotilla coming to Christchurch

Tuia 250 flotilla coming to Christchurch

Punters will have the opportunity to see the Tuia 250 flotilla while it is berthed at Te Ana Marina at Lyttelton Harbour.
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Massey student wins UK scholarship

Massey student wins UK scholarship

Tapunga Nepe’s scholarship will enable him to go to the UK to identify and study Māori taonga in British institutions.
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Navigator applies way-finding to teach youth

Navigator applies way-finding to teach youth

The navigator on a Polynesian vaka currently making its way around Aotearoa/New Zealand is helping youth in her native Tahiti to re-learn the ways of the sea.
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Tuia 250 sparks waka revival in Te tau Ihu

Tuia 250 sparks waka revival in Te tau Ihu

The Tuiā 250 Flotilla is giving iwi from the top of the South island a chance to recall their first interactions with the Endeavour 250 years ago.
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Cook's Endeavour replica leaves Marlborough

Cook's Endeavour replica leaves Marlborough

The flotilla of historic vessels has left Marlborough on the final leg of its three-month journey.
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Waka in habour

Top of the South Iwi relaunch their waka traditions

Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō, Ngāti Kuia and Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui have each launched new waka in a bid to share the knowledge of their ancestors.
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Flotilla representatives on foreshore

Te Ātiawa welcome Tuia 250 to the South

Thousands of community members gathered at the foreshore of Picton Harbour today to welcome the Tuia 250 Voyage flotilla.
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Family in front of Endeavour replica

Picton family's ancestors built and housed the Endeavour

The return of the Endeavour replica to New Zealand waters has special significance to Picton resident Tom Fishburn and his family.
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Panel discussion

Awkward Conversations

Dayle Takitimu and Glenis Philip-Barbara discuss the historical and contemporary consequences of the doctrine of colonisation and discovery for Aotearoa/New Zealand.
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Tuia250 brings Endeavour replica southward

Tuia250 brings Endeavour replica southward

Tuia250 voyage flotilla was welcomed to Meretoto/Ship Cove in Tōtaranui/Queen Charlotte Sound today.
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Marlborough welcomes Tuia 250 fleet

Marlborough welcomes Tuia 250 fleet

Blowing a pukaea made of native wood lashed with vines, Cindy Te Ata Batt signalled a "new presence" on the horizon
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Manchester museum returns stolen sacred artefacts to Indigenous Australians

Manchester museum returns stolen sacred artefacts

First UK museum to return items to Aboriginal groups in a project to mark the 250th anniversary of Captain Cook’s first voyage to Australia.
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Dual map of Tōtaranui/Queen Charlotte Sound

Dual map of Tōtaranui/Queen Charlotte Sound

Totaranui 250 trustee Peter Jerram has worked to ‘reignite’ dual naming of the Marlborough Sounds, by creating a map of Totaranui/Queen Charlotte Sound.
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Siena Thompson on board the Spirit of New Zealand

Sailing through history

Year 12 Whangaparaoa College student Siena Thompson was one of the local teens who sailed on the Spirit of New Zealand as part of the Tuia 250 flotilla of tall ships and waka.
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British High Commissioner Laura Clarke making 'statement of regret'

Prince Charles' speech at Waitangi

Will he offer an apology for past wrongs? Will he make a 'statement of regret' like the British High Commissioner in Gisborne last month?
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Waka at dock

Tuia 250 waka sails into Port Taranaki for repairs

Two waka from the Tui 250 voyage made an unscheduled stop in New Plymouth on Saturday after one had problems with its rigging.
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Endeavour at port

Endeavour replica Back in the bay

Two people requiring medical attention were successfully transferred to the Eastland Port pilot boat and brought ashore to a St John ambulance yesterday.
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De
Powhiri scene

The fall and rise of Ngāti Hei

On November 12, 1769, the first written account of a pōwhiri between Māori and Pākehā occured when Captain Cook was invited to Wharetāewa Pā at Wharekaho in Whitianga.
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Man in front of tent

Pēwhairangi Encounter with Captain Cook

Hone Mihaka (Ngāti Kawa/Ngāti Rahiri) recalls stories shared of the journey after Cook and his crew first landed at Tūranganui-a-Kiwa .
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Mercury passing the sun

Mercury rising: Celestial event thrills stargazers

Keen stargazers gathered at Te Whanganui o Hei, or Mercury Bay, on the Coromandel Peninsula to watch a rare astronomic event this morning.
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Exhibition scene

Picton talk examines hard work of James Cook's 'formidable' wife

Much has been written about explorer Captain James Cook but his wife Elizabeth was a formidable force behind his adventures
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Kids learning about Tuia

Education roadshow arrives in Te Matau-a-Māui / Hawke's Bay

The Tuia Mātauranga roadshow’s truck has already had 1600 visitors and is expecting hundreds more.
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Montage of flotilla vessels

The effects of Captain James Cook's arrival on tangata whenua

Six different New Zealanders give their views on the Tuia 250 commemorations.
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Waka in harbour

Moving ceremony at Waitangi

The handover to two Tahitian navigators took place this weekend, immediately after the pōwhiri at Te Tii Marae, which welcomed the Voyage flotilla to Pēwhairangi Bay of Islands
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Waka paddle

First contact, 250 years on - Tuia flotilla arrives at Waitangi

If you could block out the signs of modernity from nearby Paihia you could almost convince yourself it was a scene from the year 1769.
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Waka in harbour

Waka launch marks start of Tuia 250 festivities in the Bay

Emotions were running high for Freddie Tauotaha as he helped launch four newly completed waka at Russell yesterday.
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Waka paddle

Tuia 250: new lines across the Pacific

The Tuia 250 anniversary has put the spotlight on the remarkable achievements of Polynesian sailors.
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Ships montage

Waka haurua crew members 'jump ship' to Endeavour

During the Tuia 250 leg from Auckland to Whangārei, members of the waka haurua fleet jumped ship to the Endeavour.
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Young man on wharf holding United Tribes flag

Stirring haka at Whangārei

As tall ships and waka hourua made their journey into the Whangārei harbour, a group of children holding the United Tribes and Tino Rangatiratanga flags performed a stirring haka.
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Waka paddle

Waka hourua paddle named in honour of Samoan waka expert

One of the waka hourua taking part of Tuia 250 flotilla has celebrated the life of Ema Siope a waka builder and expert from Samoa.
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Ships and waka moontage

A time for sharing views, and for listening

After almost 250 years of shared history, we still treat each other as strangers
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Ships montage

Historical fleet moors in Auckland Harbour

The Tuia 250 flotilla arrived at Auckland on Friday and was welcomed with a powhiri and by locals on the wharf.
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Waka being made in shed

Three waka experts carve a lasting legacy

Māori and Pacific waka experts have collaborated to create three unique waka at the Rata symposium in Whangārei.
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Welcome at wharf

Tuia 250 in Mercury Bay: A step ashore and between two worlds

Rousing voices called out a haka that broke the sea air above Wharekaho beach and carried to the towering masts of the vessels in Mercury Bay.
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Waka at sea

Tuia 250 on the move with stories of reconciliation

The Prime Minister is pleased at the initial response to Tuia 250 which kicked off in Gisborne this week.
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Crew on board waka

Waka voyage a chance to 'connect with taiao'

Meriana Johnsen joins the crew onboard Haunui waka, on an overnight haerenga from Anaura Bay to Gisborne
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Ships montage

Tupaia doco returns to where it began

Lala Rolls’ feature-length documentary Tupaia’s Endeavour includes some mind-blowing discoveries.
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Endeavour and waka at sea

Tuia 250 facilitates critical discussion of NZ history

The re-enactment of the arrival of the Endeavour at Tūranganui a Kiwahas been a topic of national debate.
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Crew on board tall ship

I spent five days in a squeaky boat

Life aboard the Spirit of New Zealand, for the Tuia 250 flotilla
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Ships montage

‘Fantastic launch’, korero on Nationhood under way

Te Hā Trust general manager Glenis Philip-Barbara said the Tuia 250 ki Turanga event had been enormously satisfying for all.
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Endeavour at Gisborne port

Emotions running high as flotilla nears Gisborne

Emotions are running high in Gisborne this morning, as a replica of the Endeavour closes in on the east coast.
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Dean Hawkins speaking

'They started swimming away but Cook started shooting'

Gisborne iwi are setting the record straight on Captain James Cook, describing their ancestors' first experience of the British as collisions not encounters.
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Endeavour replica at sea

Endeavour arrives at Tūranganui-a-Kiwa

250 years ago today the Endeavour made its way into Turanganui a Kiwa - today a replica will do the same - but this time on tangata whenua terms.
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Endeavour at Gisborne port

Tall ships and waka to enter bay together

Tuesday will see the coming together of the two fleets, with the waka, va’a and tall ships entering Tūranganui-a-Kiwa as one.
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James Cook

Tuia 250: Captain Cook, hero or villain?

How will we remember Captain James Cook 250 years after he first appeared in New Zealand?
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Māori TV item

Connecting through culture and lineage

Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti are hosting a group of Tahitians in a cultural exchange, honouring their ancestor Tupaia who navigated the Endeavour to Aotearoa in 1769.
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Scene from Powhiri

Emotional welcome at Tuia 250 commemoration in Gisborne

Emotions were on display at the pōwhiri marking connections between Pacific peoples, today.
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Scene from history truck

New history truck brings learning to life

The Prime Minister opened an educational truck in Gisborne on Sunday, a new history resource that will travel the country.
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British High Commissioner with Charlotte Gibson

British High Commissioner's regret 'more meaningful than apology'

A Ngati Oneone representative says he's optimistic about the British High Commissioner's statement of regret.
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The va'a moana Fa'afaite i te Ao Mā'ohi

Waka flotilla to be welcomed in Bay of Plenty

A waka flotilla is being welcomed at Cape Runaway, as it arrives in New Zealand for the Tuia 250 celebrations.
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Descendant of Tupaia

Tupaia's journey told through Te Tangi o Te Moana

Descendants of Tahitian Navigator Tupaia will take part in a special exhibition as part of Tuia 250.
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Fa'afaite keep ocean voyaging traditions alive

Fa'afaite keep ocean voyaging traditions alive

Te Ao Māori News catch up with the crew of the Fa'afaite ahead of the next leg of their journey.
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Waka under traditional navigation arrives in Tauranga from Tahiti

Waka under traditional navigation arrives in Tauranga from Tahiti

The first vessel in the Tuia 250 Voyage flotilla has arrived after crossing the Pacific using the sun and moon to guide it.
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Fly My Pretties to headline Tuia 250 commemorations in Picton

Fly My Pretties to headline Tuia 250 commemorations in Picton

Singer Ria Hall says that ‘it’s fitting to be performing at an event which commemorates our unique tales of arrival.’
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Re-balancing history

Re-balancing history

Listen to a podcast about the Tuia 250 commemorations, featuring Dame Anne Salmond.
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NZSO tours 250 year commemorative piece

NZSO tours 250 year commemorative piece

Michael Norris’ new work Mātauranga (Rerenga) is inspired by Captain James Cook’s first encounters with Māori in 1769.
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When Toawaka Met Cook

When Toawaka met Cook

A new book by John Steele and Richard Gates has been released about the Ngāti Hei tupuna Toawaka, and his first encounter with Captain Cook.
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Tupaia’s Map Unlocked

Tupaia’s map unlocked

Polynesians imagined a world where ‘people didn’t move’, but the ‘world moved around them’.
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Tuia 250. Re-framing first contact

Tuia 250. Re-framing first contact

Historians Dame Anne Salmond and Dr Wayne Ngata talk to Kathryn Ryan about Tuia Encounters 250.
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Navigating through difficult histories

Tuia 250: Celebration or commemoration?

Labour and National debate if we should celebrate first Māori and European encounters.
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School work board

Tuia 250 inspires learning

Students at a Blenheim school are fascinated by what they are discovering about the history of the first encounters in their area.
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Dame Anne Salmond

Discovering a'treasure trove' of shared history

Children and young people need the full picture of beginnings of our nationhood, to appreciate our dual heritage and shared future, says Dame Anne Salmond.
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Sir Hekenukumai’s waka dream will become a reality

Sir Hekenukumai’s waka dream to become a reality

The government has announced a grant of $4.6 million for the Kupe Wāka centre.
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‘Let’s be honest’ – Jenny Shipley

‘Let’s be honest’ – Jenny Shipley

Dame Jenny Shipley says Tuia 250 event will not be all about Captain Cook.
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Jack Thatcher’s Story

Jack Thatcher’s story

Jack is one of four pwo (master) navigators in Aotearoa to be recognised by the late Pius Mau Piailug of Micronesia.
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Tā Hek Puhipi’s story

Tā Hek Puhipi’s story

Te kāpehu whetū – the Māori star compass – divides the 360 degrees around a canoe in the open ocean into 32 different whare (houses).
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Partners

Te Au Mārie 1769 Sestercentennial Trust  logo Mercury 250 Trust logo Tōtaranui 250 Trust  logo Te Hā 1769 Sestercentennial Trust logo
Te Toki Voyaging Trust logo Australian National Maritime Museum logo R. Tucker Thompson Sail Training Trust  logo Tahiti Voyaging Society  logo Spirit of Adventure Trust logo Te Kura o ngā Kurī a Tarawhata logo

Communities

Whangaparaoa/Cape Runaway | Anaura Bay | Tūranga/Gisborne | Ūawa/Tolaga Bay | Whitianga/Mercury Bay | Maraetai | Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland

Whangārei/Port Nikau | Pēwhairangi/Bay of Islands/Opua | Waitohi/Picton | Wairau Te  Waiharakeke/Blenheim | Te Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington | Whakaraupō/Lyttelton | Te Māhia

Contact the Tuia 250 team:
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