A newly launched book is taking a close look at how five carved panels changed international law on the protection and repatriation of stolen cultural treasures.
It's a story that begins in the early 1800s in a Taranaki swamp where a Te Ātiawa hapū dismantled and hid the elaborately carved totara panels as they braced themselves for an impending war that would last 80 years.
One hundred and fifty years later, the panels reemerged on the other side of the world from being part of a haerenga that took them to New York, Geneva, London and the Royal Courts of Justice.
The panels became the centre of an international tug-of-war in the 1970s when they were put up for auction by art collector George Ortiz in a bid to raise a $2 million ransom for his daughter who had been kidnapped by the Italian underworld.
The story of Te Motunui Epa has been brought to life by Dr Rachel Buchanan of Taranaki and Te Ātiawa and it retraces the remarkable journey of these taonga and their impact on the world.
Oriini Kaipara spoke to Dr Buchanan about the new book, Te Motunui Epa.
Made with support from Te Māngai Pāho and the Public Interest Journalism Fund.
