Te Awamutu Museum

HE PĀTAI | A QUESTION 🗣️

What can the printed word protect, connect and carry into the future?

Te Hokioi used te reo Māori to communicate ideas of kotahitanga, leadership and self-determination during a pivotal period in Aotearoa’s history. Its legacy continues through Māori publishing, broadcasting, journalism and storytelling today.

Visit Te Hokioi: The Power of the Printed Word throughout September in celebration of Te Reo Māori.

Use the question sticker to share your whakaaro. Save this Story, follow and tap the link in bio to plan your visit.

School holiday extension: more time for a curious adventure 🐦🔍

Tui & Tama's Cabinet of Curios is now available until Saturday 10 October 2026. Bring your whānau, investigate rarely seen objects and complete the activity booklet. Tui & Tama Kids Club members receive a badge; non-members receive a sticker.

Free admission and suitable for all ages.
Plan your visit before 10 October at www.tamuseum.org.nz.

The journey begins at the Museum

Each bus tour begins and ends at Te Whare Taonga o Te Awamutu Museum, connecting taonga, research and interpretation with the landscapes of Rangiaowhia and Ōrākau.

🎁 HERITAGE BUS TOUR GIVEAWAY
Every person who joins an AKE, AKE, AKE heritage bus tour receives one free entry into the draw to win a signed copy of Vincent O’Malley’s Great Wars of New Zealand book. The winner will be announced on our social media channels on Monday 26 October.

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Final days to solve Tui and Tama's Term 3 mysteries! 🐦❓

Bring your whānau to investigate the Cabinet of Curios before the school term ends. Look for clues, share your theories and complete the activity booklet to Tui & Tama Kids Club members receive a badge; non-members receive a sticker.

A new cabinet will arrive next term, bringing a fresh set of discoveries.

Visit Te Whare Taonga o Te Awamutu Museum before 25 September.
Free admission.

Rā Maumahara 2026 - Ake, Ake, Ake!

October, we invite our community to remember through place, story, film and community. Join guided bus trips to Rangiaowhia and Ōrākau, a public talk with historian Dr. Vincent O’Malley, and a free film screening at The Regent Theatre Te Awamutu

Ka Whawhai Film Screening
Friday 23 October | 6.30pm
Regent Theatre, Te Awamutu

Ka Whawhai Tonu is an Aotearoa New Zealand historical drama set during the New Zealand Wars in 1864, focused on Ōrākau and told largely through te reo Māori with English subtitles.
Rated M, suitable for mature audiences 16+.

Free tickets via the Regent Theatre website, with bookings opening Friday 16 October at 1pm Regent Theatre. For group bookings, please contact the Museum Team in advance: 07 872 0085 or [email protected]

🎁 HERITAGE BUS TOUR GIVEAWAY
Every person who joins an AKE, AKE, AKE heritage bus tour receives one free entry into the draw to win a signed copy of Vincent O’Malley’s Great Wars of New Zealand book. The winner will be announced on our social media channels on Monday 26 October.

There is still time to plan your free and easy Gold Card day out!

Eligible SuperGold Card holders can travel by Busit Route 24 from Hamilton to Te Awamutu — ensure your SuperGold concession is loaded onto a registered Bee Card (register at https://www.busit.co.nz/fares/concessions/).

Visit Te Whare Taonga o Te Awamutu Museum with free entry, and collect a free Collectors Anonymous booklet. The booklet features more than 30 vintage, retro, antique, pre-loved, secondhand, and charity stores, so your Museum visit can become the start of an op-shopping adventure around Te Awamutu and Waipā. Limited Red Kitchen coffee vouchers and Hoops n Scoops donut vouchers are available during the campaign, while stocks last.

There's still time to enjoy your Gold Card Museum day out!

🌿 Collection Feature: Te Reo Māori in the Archives 🌿

As Family History Month ends and we look forward to Te Wiki o te Reo Māori next month, we're highlighting taonga in our collection that preserve te reo Māori.

Our archives include:

📜 Historical Documents in Te Reo
Early letters, petitions, and records written entirely in te reo Māori — primary sources that show how language was used in everyday communication.

📋 Māori Land Court Records
Proceedings recorded in both te reo Māori and English, containing whakapapa information and land histories.

📖 Early Māori Printed Materials
Some of the first publications printed in te reo Māori, showing the language's transition to written form.

🗣️ Oral History Recordings
Audio recordings of kaumātua sharing kōrero, waiata, and whakapapa in te reo Māori.

These taonga remind us that te reo Māori is not just a language — it's a living connection to our past and a bridge to our future.

Ka mua, ka muri — walking backwards into the future.

🕐 Planning a visit? We're open Mon-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat & Public Holidays 10am-2pm

🐦✨ Tui & Tama's Cabinet of Curios has arrived!

Tui and Tama have been exploring the museum collection and choosing fascinating objects that are rarely seen by visitors.

🔍 Will you discover something useful?
🧐 Something unusual?
❓ Something mysterious?

Bring your whānau and see if you can work out why these objects caught their attention. Complete the activity booklet and earn your Koura sticker.

📅 Available during Term 3 only
📍 Te Whare Taonga o Te Awamutu Museum
🎟 Free admission
Plan your visit today!