8 Oct 2021

Māori stone artefact digital repository

From Nine To Noon, 9:23 am on 8 October 2021
A University of Auckland archaeology student working at an excavation site on Ahuahu/Great Mercury Island during a University field research project.

Photo: supplied by University of Auckland

A high tech project is underway to shed light on thousands of Māori stone artefacts, so they can be preserved for future generations. Funded by  MBIE, it involves archaeologists, bioengineers and computer scientists analysing large collections of stone items and fragments. The aim is to create digital repositories of New Zealand's cultural heritage that can be accessed by iwi and archaeologists around the world. Archaeologist Rebecca Phillipps is co-leading the project.