Tanith Wirihana Te Waitohioterangi: Border Rei Mako Removal Was a Stripping of Mana

Tanith Wirihana Te Waitohioterangi, a Māori researcher and kaiwhakairo, has called for systemic changes to New Zealand border procedures after being forced to remove his rei mako, or traditional shark tooth earrings, upon returning to Aotearoa from Europe.

Wirihana Te Waitohioterangi, who is affiliated with Rongowhakaata, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Te Whānau a Kai, Te Aitanga a Mahaki and Ngāti Ruapani, was stopped by biosecurity officers after arriving from Germany. Despite declaring the taonga upon arrival, he was instructed by officers to remove the earrings and place them on a table.

According to reporting by RNZ, officers informed him that the items would be sent to the Department of Conservation (DOC) to determine whether he would be permitted to keep them.

Border Incident and Resolution

Wirihana Te Waitohioterangi described the experience as infuriating and stated that he felt greatly shamed and embarrassed by the encounter.

I was asked to remove them, place them on the table, and then told they would be sent to DOC to decide whether I could keep them.

Tanith Wirihana Te Waitohioterangi

The rei mako were returned to him approximately 10 minutes after the initial seizure, following a reconsideration of the decision by a staff member. Wirihana Te Waitohioterangi noted that the speed of the reversal indicated that officers could have exercised more discretion from the start.

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has since issued an apology to Wirihana Te Waitohioterangi. The agency stated that it will remind its staff to handle taonga with greater sensitivity during border inspections.

Context of Travel and Professional Work

At the time of the incident, Wirihana Te Waitohioterangi had been in Germany working with the Museum of Five Continents in Munich. His work involved Māori taonga, specifically a pou tokomanawa, which is a carved centre post in a wharenui. This particular item had been taken from his iwi in the 1890s.

Wirihana Te Waitohioterangi is a kaiwhakairo and a PhD candidate in Māori Studies at Victoria University of Wellington.

Calls for Systemic Reform

While the MPI apologized for the handling of the situation, Wirihana Te Waitohioterangi argued that the issue resides within the systemic framework rather than with the actions of individual staff members.

He contrasted the treatment of his traditional earrings with the processing of other imported goods, noting that items such as French cheese, chocolate, and wine were permitted through the border without similar complications.

I do not believe the staff themselves are at fault. I believe it is part of a very flawed process.

Tanith Wirihana Te Waitohioterangi

He maintained that the requirement for items made with traditional methods to be sent to the Department of Conservation for a decision on their return is a failure of the current border system.