The second largest repatriation of Maori human remains from the United Kingdom and Europe has been completed.
Thirty-three Maori ancestral pieces, including four tattooed preserved heads (toi moko), were welcomed at a ceremony at the national museum, Te Papa, in Wellington on Monday.
Some of the remains have been identified as originating from Mercury Island in the Hauraki region in the North Island, and from the Catlins area in the South Island. The origin of the others is not yet known.
The remains given to Te Papa have come from institutions and museums in Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Sweden.
Te Papa acting chief executive Michelle Hippolite says the museum's ultimate goal is to return the pieces to the iwi from where they were taken.
The remains will be put in quarantine for a fortnight before museum staff try to find further clues about who they belonged to, she says.
