17 Jan 2012

Preserved heads being returned to NZ

3:21 pm on 17 January 2012

Twenty preserved Maori heads will soon arrive back at the Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa, after being handed over by French authorities.

The heads, known as Toi Moko, have been collected and traded by many European explorers since the 18th century.

A team from Te Papa's repatriation panel has travelled to Paris to reclaim 20 Toi Moko from 10 institutions.