Two Māori wooden carvings (pou) held in the South Australian Museum’s Māori collection since the 1890s are now on display in our North Foyer.

The public is invited to view the ancestral pou (panels) up close before they return to Aotearoa (New Zealand) on Tuesday 2 September.

With the pou on display during their final weeks in Adelaide, this represents a moment to acknowledge their long absence from Aotearoa (New Zealand) and celebrate the deep cultural and spiritual significance of their return.

Find out more about these striking Māori treasures and their emotional return home.

Members of the public are invited to join:

Public discussion: Returning Home - Pou from Te Whare o Heretaunga

Monday 1 September, 3pm to 4pm

Pacific Cultures Gallery, South Australian Museum

Māori Pou Poroporoaki (Farewell Ceremony)

Tuesday 2 September, 10am

South Australian Museum, North Foyer on Kaurna Country

Further information about the Māori pou:

What are pou?

Pouare Māori wooden wall panels with whakairo [carvings] that depict tupuna [ancestors]. Pou typically line the interior of a wharenui [large meetinghouse]. Tūpuna whakairo [carved ancestral figures] are more than artistic expressions; they are living representations of ancestors, embodiments ofwhakapapa [genealogy], and guardians of matauranga [knowledge systems], wairua [spirits] and mauri [life force]. Just as the pou physically support the wharenui, the tūpuna whakairo are a reminder of how tūpuna [ancestors] have been pou [pillars] for the present generation who in turn will be pou for future generations.

Where did the pou come from?

The two pou that have been held by the South Australian Museum were originally carved for Te Whare o Heretaunga, a wharenui located at Pākōwhai near Hastings on the east coast of the North Island of Aotearoa/New Zealand. The wharenui was being built in the 1860s under the authority of Karaitiana [Christian] Takamoana, a prominent rangatira [chief] and politician of the Ngāti Kahungunu iwi [tribe].

Who carved the pou?

They were carved by experts in the Iwirākau style which is associated with the Ngāti Porou iwi from the East Cape area north of Tūranga-nui-a-Kiwa [Gisborne]. During the late 19th century, the master carver of this tradition was Hone Taahu. He and his nephew, Hoani Ngatai, were commissioned to produce carvings for the wharenui at Pākōwhai.

Named after an ancestral tohunga whakairo [master carver], the Iwirākau tradition features overscaled heads, strong symmetry and geometric designs, notching and ridging to convey depth. Figures are often depicted with open mouths, protruding tongues, and with hands and feet that have three or four digits.

The pou are painted with kokowai (red ochre) and are about 250x50 centimetres in size. Some of the eyes of the carved figures are inlaid with paua [abalone] shell.

How did these pou end up in the South Australian Museum?

Karaitiana Takamoana passed away in 1879 and work on his wharenui ceased. A colonial collector, Thomas Morland Hocken, arranged to exhibit carvings from the unfinished wharenui in the New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition held in Dunedin during 1889-90. Hocken subsequently assumed ownership of these pou and sold them to the South Australian Museum.

How long have the pou been at the South Australian Museum?

The South Australian Museum purchased these carvings 134 years ago, in 1891. While at the South Australian Museum, the pou have been present on the land of the Kaurna people, who are acknowledged as the tangata whenua [people of the land].

Where are the pou going now?

The two pou are returning to Aotearoa [New Zealand], where they will be reunited with other carvings from Te Whare o Heretaunga.

Who is Tamatea Pōkai Whenua?

Tamatea Pōkai Whenua (TPW) is the Post-Settlement Governance Entity for the Heretaunga Tamatea district (Hastings and Central Hawke’s Bay), established through the Heretaunga Tamatea Claims Settlement Act 2018. TPW represents 43 hapū and 23 marae, and holds the legal authority as part of its settlement to progress the repatriation of Te Whare o Heretaunga taonga on behalf of the descendants of Karaitiana Takamoana. The pou depict and embody the spirits of this community’s ancestors, and they have a fundamental role in affirming the continuity of these living traditions today.

When will the pou leave Adelaide?

At 10:00 AM on Tuesday 2 September, there will be a poroporoāke [farewell ceremony] in the northern foyer of the South Australian Museum on North Terrace, Adelaide. They will depart through the front door of the Museum at the conclusion of this ceremony. Representatives from Tamatea Pōkai Whenua will be present to receive and accompany the pou on their journey home.

Will I have a chance to see the pou before they leave?

The pou will be on display in the northern foyer of the South Australian Museum on North Terrace, Adelaide from Monday 18 August through to their departure on Tuesday 2 September.

Can I be present when they leave?

Yes, the public is welcome to attend the poroporoāke.

Does the South Australian Museum hold any more Māori taonga [treasures]?

The South Australian Museum cares for over 500 items of Māori material culture, dating from the late 1700s to the early 2000s.

How can I view the Maoritaonga [treasures]?

Some of the Māori items are on display in the Pacific Cultures Gallery on level 1 of the Museum at North Terrace and most are securely stored in the Museum’s storage facilities. The taonga in storage are currently planned to be moved to a storage facility that is purpose built for the South Australian Museum. It is expected that the relocation of taonga in storage will be complete by the time of Matariki, Māori New Year, in late June 2026. The South Australian Museum welcomes continued engagement with local Māori, Pacific and other communities.

Are more South Australian Museum collection items going to be repatriated?

The South Australian Museum acknowledges that it holds cultural material that was acquired in colonial contexts and is committed to facilitating the restitution of cultural heritage. The Museum’s repatriation and restitution policies are available online, along with information about the Museum’s repatriation activities.