Tāonga Gallery
For Māori, a tāonga is a treasure. A tāonga might be a carving, a weaved cloak or some other work of art. But a täonga contains far more than artistic value. It has spiritual value, it may tell stories about people or places, and it may link its creator back to ancestors of earlier generations. The Tāonga Gallery is home to many of these beautiful items created here at Te Puia and around the country.
A wide range of Māori carvings are available from the Tāonga Gallery. Larger pieces include tekoteko (carved figures) while smaller items include patu (clubs) and wakahuia (carved treasure boxes). These items have been carved by students and tutors of Te Puia’s world-renowned carving school.
The Tāonga Gallery also offers designer glassware and ceramics as well as a beautiful range of jewellery. Some of this jewellery is made from bone, paua (abalone shell) and pounamu (greenstone of New Zealand or jade) – favourite traditional materials of Māori jewellery.
All pieces purchased in the Tāonga Gallery are packaged by our staff for travel and can be shipped overseas.
