Museum Launches New Taonga/Object of the Month Talks

Whanganui Regional Museum is introducing a new regular public talk series, Taonga o te Marama/Object of the Month, offering visitors a fresh way to connect with the Museum’s collections and curatorial expertise.

Held on the second-to-last Friday of every month, Taonga o te Marama/Object of the Month complements the Museum’s much-loved Ko te Kākahu o te Marama /Outfit of the Month series, which takes place on the first Friday of each month. The monthly fashion talks have been a regular feature at the Museum for nearly five years and continue to gain popularity. While Outfit of the Month focuses on fashion and textiles, the new series broadens the spotlight to include taonga and objects from across the Museum’s collections.

Each object talk will follow the same popular lunchtime format: a 15-minute session starting at 12.15pm. Visitors will meet in the Museum atrium before gathering around the featured object to hear a member of the curatorial team share its story.

Pou Ārahi/Acting Director, Trish Nugent-Lyne says the new series is designed to appeal to a wider range of visitors, ‘Outfit of the Month has shown us how powerful it is to tell focused, object-based stories in an informal setting,’ says Nugent-Lyne. ‘Taonga o te Marama/Object of the Month allows us to build on that success by highlighting different parts of our collection and reaching audiences who may not be as drawn to fashion or textiles. It also gives our visitors the chance to hear from curators and specialists with a wide range of expertise.’

The inaugural Taonga o te Marama/Object of the Month talk will be presented by Eruera Rerekura, Kaihāpai Taonga Māori, Curator Taonga Māori. His kōrero/conversation will focus on Te Koanga o Rehua, the carved cenotaph that stands prominently in the Museum atrium.

Created to honour the rangatira Te Mahutu of Pīpīriki, the waka whakamaumahara once stood as a memorial along the Whanganui River. Taken during the conflicts of the 1860s, it spent more than a century away from home before being returned to Whanganui in 2023. In this first Taonga o te Marama/Object of the Month presentation, Eruera Rerekura will explore its history, and the significance of the return of this remarkable taonga.

Eruera’s talk will begin at 12.15pm on Friday 20 February in the Museum. Visitors are encouraged to arrive a few minutes early to gather in the atrium.

Taonga o te Marama/Object of the Month is free to attend and open to all. No need to book.

Koha to support the Museum’s ongoing heritage preservation work is warmly welcomed.

Event Details

12.15pm, Friday 20 February, 2026
Whanganui Regional Museum
Admission is free | Koha is always appreciated