British museum returns 126-year-old kahu kiwi to Marlborough iwi
Monday 5 October 2026 · 2 outlets · 2 reports · updated In this story Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Rārua
A kiwi-feather cloak gifted to a British doctor in 1900 is being returned to Ngāti Rārua and Ngāti Toa Rangatira. The kahu kiwi was originally presented to Dr George Cleghorn by Hapareta Rore Pukekohatu and Mere te Hiko.
Key facts
4 facts
- The kahu kiwi was gifted to Dr George Cleghorn in 1900
- The cloak was loaned to the Pitt Rivers Museum in 1913
- The deaccession date is Saturday, 10 October
- The cloak will be housed at Te Papa Tongarewa before moving to Hauhunga Marae
The full story
1 min read · 2 outlets
A kiwi-feather cloak, known as a kahu kiwi, is being returned to Marlborough iwi after more than 125 years. The taonga was gifted in 1900 to British doctor George Cleghorn by Hapareta Rore Pukekohatu and Mere te Hiko on behalf of Ngāti Rārua and Ngāti Toa Rangatira. The cloak was loaned to the Pitt Rivers Museum at the University of Oxford in 1913 by Cleghorn's widow, Helen.
The Pitt Rivers Museum will deaccession the kahu kiwi on Saturday, 10 October, before it is flown to New Zealand. An iwi group is scheduled to fly to Oxford on Tuesday to collect the cloak. A ceremony to formally hand over guardianship will take place at Takapūwāhia Marae on 13 October.
Dr George Cleghorn served as the medical superintendent of Wairau Hospital and provided medical services to Māori at Wairau Pā. The kahu kiwi was given to acknowledge his work in the Blenheim region, including his public health advocacy during periods of flooding and illness.
Upon its return to Aotearoa, the cloak will be temporarily cared for by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. It is expected to return to Hauhunga Marae in Spring Creek around October 2027, once construction of a new wharenui is finished. Ownership will formally transfer to the hapū through the Ngāti Rārua o Te Wairau Society.
Where reports differ
- One report states the cloak has been away for 126 years, while another says 113 years
Compiled from reports by RNZ and The Press.