Preservation

January 11th, 2011

One gratifying outcome of the lengthy partnership between The Field Museum and the people of Tokomaru Bay in New Zealand is that Ruatepupuke II, the Maori whare or meeting house, now serves as a national “flag ship” for many throughout New Zealand, Maori and pakeha (non-Maori) alike, both as a striking heritage symbol of their cultural pride and values in a distant and foreign land, and also as an innovative urban marae (gathering place) for communicating those values and sensibilities overseas in an unconventional and vibrant multicultural setting.