tuia logo

Tuia 250

Tuia 250 commemorates 250 years since the first onshore meetings between Māori – tangata whenua of Aotearoa New Zealand – and Pākehā in 1769–70. Tuia 250 also celebrates the voyaging heritage of Pacific people that led to the settlement of Aotearoa New Zealand many generations before.

Captain Cook visited Ship Cove and Endeavour Inlet during his first voyage in 1770 and on four subsequent occasions.  The Tuia 250 flotilla commemorates this voyage and will visit Waitohi/Picton between 21-26 November 2019. The story of Cook's visit is told on the Prow  and is only one of many stories of first and early encounters between Māori and Pakeha. These include tales of Māori encounters with whalers, missionaries, surveyors and earlier visitors, such as Abel Tasman in Golden Bay.

Many of these first encounter stories have been written for the Prow by Hilary and John Mitchell, authors of a three volume work: Te tau ihu o te waka: a history of Māori of Nelson and Marlborough.

First encounter stories on the Prow:

Maori perspective - stories from Te tau ihu o te waka: a history of Māori of Nelson and Marlborough

Early Settlers and first contact:

For a full list of resources to support Tuia 250 see:

See also:

  • Ngā Tonga Sound and Vision:  Ngā wai e rua: Stories of Us 
    A curated collection of films which showcase some of our country’s unique stories through the audiovisual treasures cared for by Ngā Taonga dating right back to 1900. These range from important national events to everyday happenings, and all add to the story of who we are and where we’ve come from.