- Kia ora, and welcome to National Treasures. Join us as we glean the story of who we are and how we got there through objects, keepsakes and taonga from the past 100 years. - This is the Bastion Point flag. - Oh, Tawha. - From the priceless to the seemingly ordinary, pieces you've brought to us will be evaluated by our panel of experts here at Auckland Memorial Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira. - PG Snell. - Yeah, do you wanna try it on? - This is the moment of my life! - These are living taonga with all the richness, inspiration, achievement, humour, grief and passion that are woven into their fabric. - It cost me one joint. - (GIGGLES) - With our team of some of the country's most knowledgeable experts... - Small, everyday objects often have really important connections to big events in our history, and that's what I'm really excited to talk to people about. ...and my husband, Scotty Morrison, who's out on the road searching for taonga that couldn't quite make it here today. - We'll soon find out if I have the courage to accept the challenge that this taonga lays down before me. - The team will use their knowledge and expertise to search for the best items that tell New Zealand's story. - And particularly in this series, I'm looking at Pacific culture and popular culture. - I love it when humble and ordinary things can reveal such extraordinary things. - Iconic is a word that is gonna fill this show, the things that go to the very heart of New Zealand's identity. - And those items will be selected to be displayed at Te Papa, New Zealand's national museum. Our diverse cultures bound together by threads of history. Kia putikitiki te taurehere tangata. Kia mau, kia renarena. So join us as we delve into our national treasures. Captions by Faith Hamblyn, James Brown and Michaela Cornelius. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2021. - Hihiri ana te ngakau. I'm really excited about what we're gonna see today from Aotearoa whanau all around the motu. - Ae. - Yes. - Ka pai. And thank you all so much for bringing your knowledge, your matauranga, everything to the game. - No reira kia kaha tatou. Have we got this? - Mm. - Yeah. - BOTH: Let's do it. - So one of the things I'm looking at is Pacific history. And when it comes to that in Aotearoa, some of that is still pretty hard to talk about. Welby, thanks for bringing this in. Can you explain where these came from? - Well, this was my woodwork room at Seddon. - Seddon, now Western Springs? Now Western Springs, yeah. There were a lot of Tongan boys that had come over to do what back in the day was called School C. And I taught woodwork. And so a lot of them were in my classes, and the dawn raids were on. I thought that that had all passed in the '70s. - ARCHIVE: Officially, the police are saying there is no blitz, they're not making random checks, they haven't got special squads. - It's not that sort of situation at all. - Police sources today tell me that is not correct. Police officers have been called off other inquiries to concentrate on this, what they consider to be a blitz. - So in the mid-'70s, due to a couple of international events beyond our control, the New Zealand economy went down, and the people who were blamed were immigrants. - It's these people from the Pacific islands ` I don't know. We can't absorb them, can we? - We're having trouble accepting the Polynesians fast enough, really. - Let's keep to our own British stock. - So the government started targeting people who had overstayed their visitors visas, homes being raided, you know, front doors being crashed down, families being woken up. And they were always conducted at dawn, because they wanted to catch them before they went to work. They said they weren't targeting Pacific Islanders, but we all knew they were. And it got so bad that it continued right up until the early '80s, to the point where Immigration even started visiting high schools. - Look at this ` - Yeah. - Sam Afitu was hiding here on the 11th. - Yeah. - And so the school actually had a system? - No, this was a few teachers. There were three amazing women in the office, and they used to ring three times and hang up and ring once, and that meant that Immigration was walking. - Oh my Lord. - But underneath the Tanner lathe at the back, there was this trapdoor, and you could get down there and stand up. So the kids used to go down there. We should close the door and get one of the young women working on the wood lathe standing on top. - It wasn't that long ago. To think that this happened in New Zealand, where teachers are having to hide their students under trapdoors to hide from Immigration. - Mm. - What made you teachers do this? - Love. People think that teachers, you know, teach reading, writing and arithmetic ` you don't; you try and grow someone. And sometimes there is something higher than law and justice, and you get caught in a conflict. - And that's what happened here. - Planks of wood but it's one of the most upsetting things I've seen. Kids having to hide underneath floorboards in a classroom. It's hard to believe this happened here in New Zealand, but it did. - Today, we call it white supremacy. But at the time, there were kids calling Pacific Island students boongas. - And in 1974, there was a political campaign ad that went on. - BOTH: From the National Party. - That's how Muldoon got into power. - And it fed something. - ARCHIVE: People poured in, not just from the country, but from other countries as well. Soon, there were not enough schools or hospitals. Then one day there weren't enough jobs either. The people became angry, and violence broke out, especially amongst those who had come from other places expecting great things. - The thing is, this keeps repeating. In the 70s, 'it was Pasifika people; later on it was Asian people. Actually, even 100 years ago, it was the Chinese. And then you've got Muslims and refugees getting the same kind of attitude. - Yep. And that's why we remember stuff like this, because history doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes. - That's why I laugh when people say to me, 'Is there racism in New Zealand?' - Yes, there is. We're not spiralling out to some state of high civilisation where everything's going to be perfect. You know, we get caught in a country that we believe in and we love, but sometimes does things that aren't right. - You know, when I first saw this, I got really upset, because, you know, it's horrible. But actually, it's also a reminder of the resistance to that. - Absolutely. The power lies in what do you take out of this that's not passive, on the lives that grew out of this, and that's the reason this shouldn't ever happen again. - Thank you, Welby. - Ae. - (POIGNANT MUSIC) - How are you feeling? Yeah, I saw you struggling a bit, eh. Do you remember feeling scared yourself? - You know, cos.... (CLEARS THROAT) Sorry. We lived out west. Our family left our Ponsonby house. And so I just remember hearing lots of stories of relatives, you know, coming and disappearing, and the dawn raids was always something you heard about in whispers. It was only later as an adult and I became a writer, and I thought, 'Ooh, I'll write a play about it. 'I don't know about this.' And just the research was just horrible. I remember police visits to primary, and they were, like, 'Ooh, listen to our siren and,' you know, 'come out and do this.' And I was just traumatised by the experience. We saw police differently. You know, they were the people that came after us. - Well, thank you for sharing, cos that's part of the story that people don't get to hear much. I'm gonna give you a hug. - (POIGNANT MUSIC) - (SIGHS) - Tell us about this precious object. - It's a ball from the infamous 1981 underarm game at the MCG. - ARCHIVE: On November the 1st 1944, 700 Polish children arrived in Wellington. - These magazines were designed to promote the Hero Party. - Some of the pillows were actually people's bodies floating down. * - Now, no self-respecting New Zealand family out on a picnic would have been without one of these. Look at this. A Thermette. Now, with a Thermette, you could make a cup of tea anywhere, any time. And it was invented by a New Zealander, John Hart, back in 1929. - OK, Annalee, it's wonderful to have you here to talk about one of the great New Zealand icons. - What is it that we've got here? - This is the Thermette. It was invented by my granddad, John Ashley Hart, in 1929. It's basically a cone shaped cylinder. You light a little fire underneath with sticks and twigs or anything like that. Light it ` it's surrounded by a water jacket in here. - So the water goes in here? - The water goes yeah, in that bit there. - Yeah. - And then it's heated, it boils, uh, enough hot water to make 12 cups of tea in about five minutes. - John Ashley Hart's Thermette really is a celebration of the great Kiwi tradition of do-it-yourself ingenuity, number eight fencing wire and so forth. So, what was his background? I mean, was he trained as an inventor? - Yeah, he was an engineer, but yeah, I think he just was one of those mad inventors. He just chiselled away in this shed and saw a need for something and tried to invent something to fix it. - I mean, it's just always been cited as one of the great examples of Kiwi ingenuity. - Totally. - And it developed a new use during the Second World War. - Yes, that's actually the most important ` for me, anyway ` part of it. When the war broke out, my granddad agreed to waive the patent, because it was obviously such a great thing, you know, to take to war for the troops. So it also had a nickname, the Benghazi boiler. - Benghazi being a place in Libya where the New Zealanders fought. - BOTH: Yeah. - I can quite understand why this aspect of the history of the Thermette is so important to Annalee. I mean, it must have been quite extraordinary to be off fighting in a foreign land and bring out this example of Kiwi ingenuity and come to depend upon it. Real classic expression of New Zealand identity overseas. - Apparently, the enemy, they were baffled as to why there was this whole scorch marks on the earth, and they didn't know for years what it was, but what it was. But what it was, it was the Kiwis just having their cups of tea and leaving little burn marks where there Thermette was. - Having their brew-ups. - Yeah. - Well, I must say, it's a fantastic thing. It's great of you to bring it in. I mean, it's an absolute privilege to, uh, have someone who's got such a close personal relationship with what is a great New Zealand icon. - That's so cool to hear, honestly. That's really awesome to hear. It's a great, great item. I'm very proud of it. - While our history keeps unfolding here at the Auckland Museum, Scotty is on the road to visit taonga that, for one reason or another, couldn't come to us. - I'm in a beautiful part of Aotearoa, New Zealand. This is the Murihiku region, this is Southland, and I'm heading off to a place called Maruawai, which you'll know better as Gore. Now, these words weren't here many, many years ago. So the people in this region had to use a different mode of transport to get supplies in, to bring doctors in and all of those kind of things. And that should give you a big clue as to the next taonga I'm about to go and have a look at. - Gerald, my friend, how are you? - Hello, Scotty. - Good to see you. Good to see you. - Thank you. - Now, it's a pleasure to be here today. And thank you very much for your time, because this is spectacular. This is very significant in terms of Aotearoa, in terms of New Zealand, this is a taonga. This is a national treasure. Tell us why it's a national treasure. - This is a de Havilland Fox Moth, started the first operating airline in New Zealand. - On December 18th, 1934, Captain Bert Mercer began flying regular services from Hokitika to isolated areas of the West Coast. - On the West Coast, there were no roads, you know, south of Hokitika. So you either got on a horse or walked or cadged a ride with a Fox Moth. - On this one? - Yes, on this one. - So you could say this is, more or less, the whakapapa or the genealogy of aviation in New Zealand, - it's the tipuna of Air New Zealand? - For civilian travel, - certainly, yeah. - Wow. - Yeah. - Now, this aeroplane transported everything from people to packages, medicine, the mail and even whitebait on occasion. But it was a very different operation to the airlines of today. - These guys were real pioneers ` they were trailblazing, they were landing on beaches. They landed on racecourses ` any way that they could get access to land an aeroplane was the deal. - Must be highly skilled pilots. Yes, I think they had a few exciting moments. But, you know, the show must go on. As a pilot, you're sitting up on your own there, and you've got this little porthole where you look into the cabin, so you can see them, the passengers down there, and they can see you. But your communication is a little bit sparse. - So you hope that they don't get up to anything interesting. - (BOTH LAUGH) - Come on, Scotty. - Yeah, I'm coming. I'm coming. Ooh, there we go. There we are. Oh, it's like a La-Z-Boy. You're in the economy, - and I'm in first class. - What, do you get served? Where's the peephole? - There's the peephole, yeah. Yeah. - Oh, it's comfortable. - It is, It's lovely. - Yeah. - Yeah. - You'd have to like the person that's sitting opposite you. - Especially if there were more than two of you. - BOTH: Yeah. - Gerald's enthusiasm for this piece of Aotearoa's history is catching, and it's not surprising ` he was the one who rescued it from a collection in England in 1996 and brought it back to its rightful home. - I was living in Switzerland. Then I hightailed over to Britain and had a little chat with the man, - and that's how it all started. - And then you eventually got it back here to New Zealand. - Yes, a significantly historic aeroplane like this should be in New Zealand, in my book. - The Fox Moth is now back where it belongs and won't be flying away any time soon. - Mandy, welcome along to National Treasures today. Thank you so, so much for coming in. - It's lovely to meet you. - It's a pleasure. - I wondered if you might be able to talk us through what we've got here on the table. - Well, this Red Cross first aid case has been in my family forever. It was my mother's, and that's special because she died when I was 7. So I didn't get to know her or talk to her about her life. And so that's why it's special. - (CHUCKLES) - Yeah. Very, very special. - It's OK. I'm good. - OK. - And so she was a member of the New Zealand Red Cross, and she had a pretty important job during the war. - Your mother's name was Patricia? - Yeah, Patricia Wolstenholme. Yeah. That's just a picture of my mother, probably taken in about 1947, we figured out. She worked at Wellington Hospital, and she looked after the volunteer aides, and she was quite active in the reception and the transportation of the 733 Polish refugees who came to New Zealand in 1944. - ARCHIVE: On November the 1st 1944, 700 Polish children arrive in Wellington in a troopship with returning New Zealand soldiers. - Scared and traumatised children, survivors of the Nazi invasion of their country, these youngsters crossed the globe for a new life. Their parents, if they survived, were left far behind. - Yeah, when I was a child, I grew up in Island Bay, which was a very cosmopolitan kind of place, you know, a lot of Italians and Greeks and Dutch and Irish and Hungarian and Polish people. And I never realised that all these Polish kids who I went to school with were probably descendants from these refugees. A few years ago, it might have been on the 70th anniversary, one of my old school friends, who's Polish, put a little clip up on Facebook, and sure enough, I look at it and find my mother, who stuck out straight away. - I thought, 'Oh, there she is,' you know? - Yeah. - And that's what made me realise these girls were actually children of these refugee children that came out. - Mm. - And that in a weird way, we had this, kind of, - strange connection, you know? - Yeah. - This little case, with its internationally recognised symbol on the front and its connection to those Polish children, is really significant in itself. The fact that it's also a link between a daughter and a mother that she lost at a very young age is hugely touching as well. So, Mandy, I mean, for all those decades of service, your mum must have helped so, so many people and changed a number of lives. I just wonder how you feel about that legacy. - (CHUCKLES) I think I'm very proud of New Zealand, actually. Not even of my mother, but of New Zealand taking in those people at a time like that, you know. And it's one hell of a story, you know? - Yeah. - Awesome to think that our small country could do something like that. - Yep. - Very special. - Yep. - Well, it's a ball from the 1981 underarm game at the MCG. - We bought it on Trade Me. We had a budget of $3000, and it ended up at 10 grand, but then it sold. We were, like, 'What have we done? What have we done?' (UPBEAT GUITAR MUSIC) - Hey, sis. Off the ciggies, on the vape. You're halfway there! - I know you've tried so many times to give up smoking. - And this is the one that stuck. - You're looking so good now. I can see that glow on your face and in your eyes. - Good on ya, girl! - You're a strong mana wahine. - Keep going. I'm with you all the way. - Keep up the mahi. (BOTH CHUCKLE) - Let's go. - (LAUGHS) - Quitting smoking is the best thing for your health. Vaping is way less harmful and can help you get off the smokes. * Six balls remaining. He's hit that, and he's hit it well. - Paul and Mike, it's very nice to have you here. The Beige Brigade, is this correct? That's right. It's about passion, not fashion, Jock. Paul and I resurrected the beige uniform in the late '90s, got on to a sewing machine and started smashing out beige shirts, and next minute you know, we had a whole factory making them. - Sold a fair few, haven't we, Paul? - Yeah, about a million bucks worth. - That's a lot of money for the ugliest cricket uniform that's ever been invented, I have to say. - Passion not fashion, Jock. Passion not fashion - Now, tell us about this precious object you've brought in today. - Yes, well, it's a ball from the infamous 1981 underarm game at the MCG, where... - Bowled him! - 1-1 in the series; Australia were looking to go 2-1 up. - And New Zealand's only hope now is a six off the last ball for a tie. - New Zealand's the run chase. They need six of the last delivery. - It looks to me as if they're gonna bowl underarm off the last ball. Rod Marsh is saying, 'No, mate,' but I'm sure he's going to bowl an underarm delivery on the last ball, and bowl it along the ground, and be sure that it has not been hit for six. The umpires have been told. The batsmen have been told. And this is possibly a little bit disappointing. They're going to bowl an underarm. - PAUL: Trevor Chappell bowls an underarm ball to Brian McKechnie. - Hiffs his bat in disgust. - Throws it down, doesn't he? Bruce Edgar's at the other end. He flicks the fingers. Geoff Howarth runs on to the field in his socks, remonstrates with the umpires. - RICHIE BENAUD: And their skipper Geoffrey Howarth ` there he is now, and I know exactly the reason he's out there. - A great piece of history is made. So, we bought it on Trade Me, which was another classic New Zealand element to this story. The ball was up for sale. It had been donated by the CEO of Qantas, who'd got it from Trevor Chappell. We had a budget of $3000, but we were sitting there on Mike's old school dial-up, and then there was another bidder, and so we were like, 'We should probably just keep going, and we'll just see where we end up.' And yeah, it ended up at 10 grand, and then it sold, and we were like, - 'What have we done? What have we done?' - That's a lot of shirts. Yeah. Yeah. And it's giving us the moral high ground for the history of time. I mean, we've been over to Australia a bunch of times for cricket series, and it's just a showstopper when you're like, 'Let's just get on to the underarm,' and they're like, 'Oh yeah, you guys, you've gotta let it go.' - We aren't getting over it. I'm never getting over it. - No. I will never get over it, so they can stop with that chat. - I described Greg Chappell's actions as an act of cowardice, and I thought it was most appropriate that the Australian team was dressed in yellow. (POIGNANT STRING MUSIC) - Tena koe, Raniera. Nga mihi mo to tainga mai i Whanganui i a tatou. - Can you tell me a little bit about what we have here? - Yeah. Kia ora e hoa. Moku te honore nui te tautoko tenei kaupapa o tatou tenei ra. He kakahu tenei, he kakahu apotoro wairua. Tenei te kakahu o to tatou tupuna Toihau te Tahapene. - So, these kakahu are the apotoro robes of the Ratana Church. - Ae. Te Haahi Ratana now is a spiritual and political movement born out of the desperation and dispossession that came in the years following the Land Wars. So, Toihau Te Tahapene, that's your koroua? - Yes, so, he's my great-grandfather. - Oh, wow. - He tangata haututu ia, engari he tangata maia. - Ae. And so there was something that Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana saw in my great-grandfather. - In the early 20th century, Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana had a vision which called on him to help and heal his people. - I think his main purpose was to bring forth the simplicity of the scriptures to our people. - It's a mixture of the Maori and the Christianity, isn't it? - Oh, absolutely. - And in 1925 the Ratana Church was officially founded. - RANIERA: This particular kakahu comes from 1925. Blue, white, red, purple, and the yellow point is getting a little bit faded there. This is pretty much the outset of our whakapono. This reminds us that we have all of these different pou that uplift the kaupapa of the maramatanga. - Ratana's philosophy was not just spiritual, it was political as well. Ratana stood independent candidates in national elections and eventually won seats in Parliament. Throughout the 20th century, most Maori seats were filled with Ratana-endorsed candidates. - 1928, the mahi that Ratana had in that space of the ture wairua had come to a completion. But in terms of the mahi of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, me to tatou mana motuhake, he mahi nui kei te haere. And so all of those korero tuku iho of all of or poropiti Maori, there are answers in there for us as Maori to find, where is this huarahi for us to get to this space where we are being truly acknowledged as tangata whenua and as rangatira in our own land. So yeah, he mahi nui. - Kia ora e hoa. Nga mihi nui. - Kia ora. - Thank you so much for bringing these taonga in that we're gonna talk about today. So, I wonder if you can talk a little bit about what they mean to you. - So, these magazines were designed to promote the Hero Party. The whole concept of Hero was to bring about this idea that you could act as a hero by having safe sex. And it was the brainchild of the AIDS Foundation, who were finding it really difficult to engage with the community. And so they came up with this concept of running a Hero Party. So Hero was the vehicle that brought that whole fight against HIV out of the health department offices... - And brought it into people's lives. - ...brought it on to the street. - HIV and AIDS swept across the world in the 1980s, largely affecting men in the gay community. At the time, if you contracted AIDS, it was a death sentence. There were no cures and no vaccines. AIDS also generated a tidal wave of fear, paranoia and prejudice. - You're down the drain! You're back into the sewers! As far as I'm concerned, you can stay in the gutter! They're looking at the homosexuals. Don't look too long! You might catch AIDS! - The cost of no medical breakthrough, ignorance and fear was thousands of lives and the alienation of an entire community. - Really, the message was trying to say to gay people that you can have a positive role in society, and in fact, you need to, because otherwise we're gonna lose the fight against HIV. - Kua roa te wa. - Kia ora. - Kia ora ano. - Tena koe. - He hokinga mahara. - I haven't seen Mikaera for quite a while. - Ae. But you bring back memories, as well as these. - Institution, ne? - Yes. They capture a kind of culture. Because here, for example, we've got an advertisement for lube, an advertisement for a cafe, and then there's an advertisement from a funeral service, because at the end of the day, people were dying. - He hokinga mahara. I mean, I remember, we've been to tangi together for ones who have been lost, ratou kua ngarawa ki te po because of HIV. - That's true. - And so when you think of them, what do you think now? - I think they were warriors. Because people were literally dying ` and a lot, a lot of people were dying ` it galvanised us. And so we really got very serious about the work we had to do. - On the one hand, it's inspiring to hear how this community came together to fight this epidemic. But on the other hand, it's devastating to hear that wider society essentially left them to deal with it themselves. - There was other issues, too, like people who got thrown out of their houses or people who got thrown out of their families. We gathered them in. - So it's never just what you see on the outside, and the battle that you're fighting. - And it's not always about the broader society. It's actually about how you feel as a person, inside yourself. And when you are 15 and you know that everybody is expecting you to like that girl, and you don't, you like that guy over there, you have to fight that battle. That's still a battle. I think it always will be. - So you have to be a hero. - That's right. Yeah. And not just to do it for yourself, but to pull others with you. - He's a hero. - Yeah. Ae. - (LAUGHS) - As I put the rug on the ground, I thought, 'This rug might be important to somebody.' - It is clear that this is one of New Zealand's darkest days. (SIREN WAILS) This could be you. I've lost 28 kilos with the help of Jenny Craig. The food was tasty, the variety available to you is great. VOICEOVER: Start today and save $30 on your first weekly menu on our Rapid Results weight loss plan. Call Jenny Craig now. * ARCHIVE: They're on their way to Auckland, to the Pan-Pacific Jamboree. Making things really hard for themselves, 11 scouts from Whangarei are walking the 100 miles to Auckland. - Boy Scouts began in New Zealand in the early 1900s as part of a movement that took off across the British Empire. This wonderful scout blanket here, Colin, I understand this is yours, and I'd love to hear a bit about it. Well, in scouting, years ago, it was one of the things that you had, was a blanket. And you could put your badges on. You'd cooked something, tied knots, swimming ` different activities for different badges. - Preparing for the great outdoors, really. - Yeah. The idea was to help mould boys into model citizens. They'd be moral, obedient, self-reliant, the very model of a modern British gentleman. - And did you use it yourself? - I did, up until the time I lost it. (ALL LAUGH) - And is this where Gabrielle comes in? - It is where Gabrielle comes in. - We lived in the country, on the main highway, and the newspaper bus would throw our newspaper out every morning. And I went down and picked up the paper. There was this old grey blanket. So I took it up to Mum, and I said, 'Mum, there's this...' 'Oh, nah, it's just a grey old scout blanket.' So I moved off to Wellington, and went flatting. The blanket went with me, after it had been in the Hillman Avenger, on the parcel rack, underneath the car seat, in the boot. It just shifted around. It went everywhere. So, I moved to Wellington and then headed off overseas. For two and a half years, it travelled through Europe. Lived in Amsterdam for eight months. Somerset, in England. And came home in 1979. - It stayed in the tea chest until 2019. - Yep. I said, 'I've gotta get through those tea chests, get rid of that stuff upstairs in the attic.' As I put the rug on the ground, I thought, 'This rug might be important to somebody.' I took photos and put it up on Facebook. And it just blew me away. I think we got 700 shares. - It went all around the world. - Wow. So, Colin, how did you know that it was your blanket? - This is the article that was in our local news. - Ah, yes. 40-year blanket mystery. - When I looked at this in the paper in the morning,... (SIGHS, CHUCKLES) - You knew it was yours, did you? - Yeah, it was... (CHUCKLES) Um... - It was emotional, I reckon. When I knocked on the door, I was really nervous. And Colin came, and it was like, the tears came, and his tears welled up, and I sort of handed the blanket over. - One of the things that I'm aware of is how fragile textiles can be. They're things that are used and abused and thrown away. And so it was really wonderful to hear Gabrielle had become the custodian of this fragile object. Thank you so much for sharing your lovely story. It's a real heart-warmer, so I love to see it. - Thank you. - No, thank you very much. (POIGNANT MUSIC) He mea nui te taonga. He mea nui te taonga. So, taonga are really, really important, because especially taonga that you can touch and feel, those are tangible connections to history. And history is important because history always has matauranga in it. History has knowledge that's invaluable, that guides you. It's the window that let you see into the past and guides you into the future. So, the taonga I'm about to see ` ko nga taonga ka tirohia nei i au aku anei ` represent a significant event that had a huge impact on Aotearoa, specifically the Muslim community that live here. - It is clear this is one of New Zealand's darkest days. (SIREN WAILS) - On the 15th of March 2019 two mosques in Christchurch were subjected to a horrific attack that left 51 people dead and an entire community in mourning. Tena korua, Noraini and Angela. Thank you very much for taking the time out to share these very precious taonga that you have. We really appreciate it and appreciate your courage. So, the 15th of March, how did it impact you two? - Well, I lost my son when we went for Friday prayer at the mosque. - I lost my mum, Linda. She was praying at the Linwood Mosque. - I remember the day after it happened, and the tributes were this high and right out to the footpath there, and just right along here. - It was incredible. - There was just lines and lines of people, not saying a word. - Yeah. - Just standing in silence. And that aroha that was being expressed by everybody, did that help? Did that help? - Oh, gosh, yes. I think that's what made you feel... a bit more positive. a bit more like there's something can come out of this. - Something good will come out from this, yes. - Noraini, what taonga have you got to show us? - OK, this is Sayyad's, while he was playing for Ferrymead Bays in 2018. And also with this particular ball left behind by a friend and family, and there's a few signatures and messages. Sayyad really loves football. - You have these very special taonga. What's the significance of them for you? - This represents, for me, like, hope ` hope for the young people, if they want to ` you know, dreams about being whatever they want to be. So they just have to be, you know, work hard. Yeah. Fabulous. Thank you very much. And what about you, Angela? You've got some things that remind you of Mum? - Yeah, there were some lovely messages left all along here, and I took part in sorting through them. And for me it was often the messages that the children left. I think it was these beautiful, just simple, heartfelt messages. 'I'm sorry this has happened. Love from Maggie.' 'We hope this never happens again,' which I think pretty much sums it up. 'Love from Chloe.' - So, all of the tributes that were laid here in the days after, and the tributes that you now have ` hei taonga manawa mo korua ` how do they reflect Aotearoa New Zealand, in your opinion? - They reflect love, the aroha, and also the solidarity. - It just shows all the love and the support that was wrapped around us. And I think that's what made us strong enough to get through. Me penei te korero, e hotuhotu ana te manawa engari harikoa ana te manawa. Which kind of means the heart sobs, but the heart is also joyous. Because what you've shown is that these taona, they're so special, and the value in them is incomprehensible, but the value for not only you, but for us as a nation is so special, because it helps us to never, ever forget what happened, and these people. - I... I think that also makes me feel like, well, I lost my son, but this thing helps me to go through my healing journey. - Yes. - These are some notes I took about my part in the Tangiwai Disaster. I had this pillowcase with me that was full of toys. And all of a sudden, we were getting Christmas presents of a completely different kind. * (GENTLE ELECTRONIC MUSIC) - Tena koe, Manaia. Nau mai. Mm. - Kia ora, kia ora. - Nau mai, haere mai. - (CHUCKLES) - Wiremu Kerekere was involved in iwi broadcasting, but was also a trailblazer in national radio. He was strong in both languages, allowing waiata Maori and te Reo Maori to be accessible throughout the country. It was really the beginning of the te Reo Maori revitalisation in broadcasting. And his great-grandson Manaia has carried on this mahi as an iwi broadcaster himself. No reira tenei peke ` tell me about this bag. What do you know about it? - So this bag was his everyday bag he took to work. All the stickers, you know, on the bag, I guess he put them on as he progressed in Maori radio. Yes, this was the Nike bag of their age, yes. - (CHUCKLES) And what sorta` Ae. Koko ` Maori chant. Ah, you probably wouldn't even know what to do with that, would you? - No, it would be a no. No, I don't. No, I don't. It's, like, way before my time. - When you're working in Maori broadcasting, what do you see are some of the benefits, some of the things that your poua created a pathway for? Te Reo Maori, a language that was once on the brink of being lost can today be heard on dozens of radio stations around the country, stations born out of the huge legacy of people like Bill Kerekere. When you look at Maori broadcasting now, how would you describe the state of it? - Yep. (CHUCKLES) Tena koe. - SINGS: # I was 12 years old at Christmas morning, # 1953, # and Santa had come for Dad and Mum. # What would our presents be? # My pillowcase was bulging, # full of presents by my bed. # Then the river brought those pillows of the dead. - Kia ora, John. - Kia ora. - It's so nice to meet you. Thank you so much for coming in. And I wonder if, first of all, you could talk about what we're looking at. - Well, these are some notes I took about my part in the Tangiwai disaster in '53. And I was 12, so that makes me 79 now. (CHUCKLES) And I started writing this about 20 years ago, and there was notes about my part in it. - It is with profound regret that I have to announce that a most serious railway accident occurred to the 3pm Express, travelling from Wellington to Auckland. The disaster occurred at 10.21pm last night, three-quarters of a mile north of T-A-N-G-I-W... - Christmas Eve, 1953, a lahar, or a volcanic mudflow, spews down Mt Ruapehu and across the rail bridge, the Whangaehu River, 10km out of Waiouru. Just minutes later at 10.21pm, the Wellington to Auckland Express unknowingly hurtles into the damaged bridge. It collapses, and the train and the first six carriages are tipped into the river. 151 people would die. The tragedy at Tangiwai remains our worst-ever rail disaster. - We were about 60km downstream, and the river was actually... Probably had to go about 100km downstream before it got to us. So all the wreckage from the train wreck got to us on Christmas morning. And although I was 12, I still believed in Father Christmas, because you had to believe. (CHUCKLES) - (CHUCKLES) - So I had this pillowcase with me that was full of toys. And all of a sudden, half an hour later, we were getting Christmas presents of a completely different kind. (BREATHES SHAKILY) - Just take a moment. - Yeah. John was just 12 years old, and still all of these decades later, he struggles to come to terms with what happened that day. - I was writing this and I had a writing coach I was going to. She said, 'Don't tell people about it. Make them experience it.' And so it eventually turned into a song. SINGS: # We were opening up our presents when a roaring wall of mud # poured down the gorge behind us, # tossing pillows on its flood # and a thousand shattered timbers painted railway-carriage red. # Can we go down to the river, Mum? # Come inside, she said. # They are the pillows of the dead. # And along with the train wreck, I can remember seeing lots of pillows down in the gorge. When the train went into the river, everybody's pillows floated down the river. And what I didn't realise at the time was that some of the pillows were actually... people's bodies floating down. # Dad drove off down the valley. # He was gone all Christmas Day. # 'Your father's saving people's luggage # 'that the flood has swept away.' # But he came home, all mud and sulphur. # 'Don't go near the lorry shed.' # I knew he had brought home pillows of the dead. # There were farmers all down the river. They got about 100 out, probably, all together, from all down the river, yeah. - And what, you know, motivated them to do that? - Well, that's just what you do. - That's what you did. - You loved your neighbour, and burying the dead was.... (SNIFFS) burying the dead was the last thing you can do for anyone. - Yeah. # Dad drove us up the valley # to the bridge at Tangiwai, # and I touched the wreckage on the mountainside. # But I never touched that muddy mess that bulged inside my head # since the day I saw that pillow of the dead, # since the day I saw that pillow of the dead. # - In Maori, Tangiwai means 'weeping waters', and John's tears and lyrics serve as a living testament to those who lost their lives that day and richly add to the national record of such a landmark tragedy. But I'm not going to touch this, but I just feel like I should have gloves on just to be anywhere near it. - The Great Ngaruawahia Music Festival. Good music, bit of that '70s free love I was looking for. - (WHISTLES) - It only cost me one joint. - (CHUCKLES) - CTV Building's collapsed. I think there might be people in there. - I find in this role as a curator, (SNIFFS) you forget how heavy some of these things are that you have to encounter. - Courage, mate. You do this, you can do anything.