Latest News
Learn how our Tohu Whenua continue to make history.


05/09/2023 | West Coast
140-year-old stonewalls repaired at Denniston Mine
The Department of Conservation has successfully completed the complex job of fixing a collapsed section of 140-year-old stone retaining walls at Denniston Mine.
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28/05/2023 | Northland
Māori youth examine their relationship to the environment through art
Creative leadership in the environmental space will be ignited by the next generation of Māori artists as they showcase their work in the biannual Tai o Hī Tai o Hā exhibition, set to open to the public on May 28.
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24/05/2023 | Northland
Vote #1 for Hansen Lemon Tree - Rākau o te tau / Tree of the year Aotearoa
Inspired by the ‘European tree of the year’, organisers of Rākau o Te Tau / Tree of the Year Aotearoa want Kiwis to nominate and vote for the greatest, most fascinating trees in the country!
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01/05/2023 | Otago
Matariki Arrowtown Lights returns for second year
Kā-Muriwai Arrowtown will once again shine as it hosts Matariki celebrations for the second year running.
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29/04/2023 | Northland
Clendon whānau receive special acknowledgement
Special acknowledgement for a whānau that played a key role in carefully preserving valuable documents spanning almost 150 years of Aotearoa New Zealand history.
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16/02/2023 | Northland
Clendon papers added to UNESCO register
A unique collection of family papers spanning almost 150 years, and covering watershed moments in the formation of modern New Zealand, has been added to the UNESCO Aotearoa New Zealand Memory of the World register.
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20/12/2022
Is this place worth the visit?
Have you visited a Tohu Whenua recently? Have your say and be in to win $250!
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10/12/2022 | West Coast
Tohu Whenua launches first mana whenua site
Tohu Whenua has marked a significant milestone today with the launch of its first landscape story-based site, Te Kopikopiko o te Waka near Te Weheka/Fox Glacier.
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20/06/2022
Matariki 2022 - Tohu Whenua events near you
Tohu Whenua landmarks across the country are celebrating Matariki 2022 - and you're invited!
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31/03/2022 | Northland
Waitangi Treaty Grounds supporting teachers with new histories curriculum
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01/10/2021 | Otago
Hayes Homestead Centenary
Hayes Homestead celebrates 100 years of Kiwi engineering and ingenuity, including what must have been one of the first whole-home audio systems in New Zealand.
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01/09/2021 | Otago
Totara Estate stonework repairs underway
“A craftsman who worked on the great cathedrals in Europe could walk onto a job now and the tools would be virtually the same,” says Totara Estate stonemason, Allan Ward.
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12/07/2021 | Northland
3D snapshot of Kerikeri's Stone Store
A Kerikeri engineering firm has used state of the art 3D laser scanning technology to create a high-precision model of New Zealand’s oldest stone building – and the results are amazing.
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26/06/2021 | Northland
Matariki the star attraction at Kerikeri Mission Station
Kerikeri Mission Station is celebrating Matariki with events for an entire month! (19 June - 11 July)
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26/03/2021 | West Coast
125 years ago today: NZ’s deadliest industrial disaster
Today marks the 125th anniversary of our country's most deadly industrial disaster, the explosion at Brunner Mine that killed 65 men and boys.
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15/12/2020 | West Coast
Waiuta joins Tohu Whenua today
Historic West Coast goldtown “Waiuta” will join Tohu Whenua today, recognising it as one of New Zealand’s most treasured heritage places.
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30/11/2020 | Otago
The Secret Lives of Stencils exhibition now open at Totara Estate (Oamaru)
If you’ve ever visited an old woolshed on a farm, chances are you spotted an old stencil or two hanging up on the walls.
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14/09/2020
Is your photo the star of Tohu Whenua’s summer marketing campaign?
Have you ever dreamed of having your photo printed in a magazine? We're looking for a great photo to use on our summer campaign, to encourage people to visit our special New Zealand heritage places.
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22/06/2020
Love your Tohu Whenua!
Love your Tohu Whenua! Show the kaitiaki/guardians of your most treasured Kiwi heritage places some love and be in to win! Our country is brimming with Tohu Whenua - unique Kiwi heritage places where you can experience New Zealand’s most important stories. It’s now time that we show the dedicated people who look after our treasured places a little love!
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17/02/2020
Hokitika joins Tohu Whenua
Hokitika Port, Commercial and Government Centre will join Tohu Whenua today, recognising it as one of New Zealand’s most treasured heritage places.
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15/02/2022 | Otago
140 years of Totara Estate
Today marks the 140th anniversary of the first shipment of frozen meat from Port Chalmers to London in 1882.
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06/02/2019
Tohu Whenua open on Waitangi Day
On Waitangi Day, Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga will be opening the doors to its staffed properties free of charge.
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07/12/2018 | West Coast
Tohu Whenua launches on the West Coast
Tohu Whenua, the national programme showcasing this country’s significant heritage places, is being launched on the West Coast.
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07/11/2018
Name change better reflects programme meaning
Tohu Whenua is the new name for a successful programme identifying and celebrating the significant historic and cultural places of Aotearoa.
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