Preserving Maori Culture in the National Library of New Zealand

   Written by Morgan Daugherty.

 When visiting the National Library of New Zealand, you’ll quickly realize that the majority of their collections and exhibits are built with the Maori people in mind. The indigenous people of the country, the Maori people are apart of the greater Polynesian community and - like many other indigenous populations - were largely affected by British colonization of their home country. While there are collections in the library dedicated to British and French literature, as well as personal collections of famous Europeans who immigrated to the islands, most of the library seems intact to preserve and pass on the traditions of their original peoples. 

Many documents important to the country’s history - including the Maori tribes' declaration of Independence, the original treaty signed by British colonizers and Maori leaders, etc - are available to view in the library in both Maori and English, offering visitor insights to the struggles of translation that have plagued these documents since their creation.

A Maori treaty signer

Part of the unique struggle in preserving Maori culture through a traditional library setting is the lack of historical, written works - as much of Maori traditions and culture are expressed verbally. Because of this, the National Library of New Zealand has extensive audio collections including traditional music and recordings from local or independent radio stations that broadcast traditional events in more rural areas of the country.

You will also find the National Children’s Collection at the library, which includes 100,000 books written by or about children of pacific islander descent. Access to materials relevant to the children of the Maori is important, because according to data from 2020, the Maori median age is an entire decade younger than the median age of the non-islander population, suggesting that the Maori population has significantly more children with unique reading needs.

Beyond just showcasing cultural materials, the National Library of New Zealand also has a strong focus on teaching their population about the art of preservation. Maori (and other islander towns) feature a building called a Marae - a sacred place to its inhabitants, which includes photographs and portraits of ancestors of the community. The Library hosts workshops that teach people how to properly preserve aging photographs so that those placed at the holy site can continue to hang for many more years to come. You can read more about their public postings about preserving photographs by clicking here. This shows that the preservation of tradition isn’t just of interest to New Zealand information scientists, but important to the country at a greater level.

A Marae building, including the unique way portraits are hung. 

References

Freed, D. (1992). Music library service in New Zealand: An essay in resource sharing. Fontes Artis Musicae, 39(3/4), 204-209. Retrieved March 6, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/23508711

National Library of New Zealand (n.d.). A Declaration: He whakaputanga. Retrieved March 06, 2021, from https://natlib.govt.nz/he-tohu/about/he-whakaputanga

Māori population estimates: At 30 June 2020: Stats NZ. (2020). Retrieved March 06, 2021, from https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/maori-population-estimates-at-30-june-2020#:~:text=There%20were%20423%2C700%20M%C4%81ori%20males,reflecting%20a%20younger%20M%C4%81ori%20population)