MEDIA RELEASE For immediate release 13 September 2004
Matapihi – opening the window onto New Zealand’s heritage
From art to architecture, birds to battalions, the many faces of our people and the many features of our land – explore
them all through www.matapihi.org.nz, a new window onto our nation online today.
“Matapihi provides access to around 50,000 images, sounds and objects that are all about us. They’re made in New Zealand
or created or collected by New Zealanders,” says Penny Carnaby, National Librarian and Chief Executive of the National
Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mâtauranga o Aotearoa.
“It puts our heritage at your fingertips, wherever you are and whatever time you choose to check it out. It’s easy to
use and free to access online from anywhere.
“Search for ‘kiwi’, for example, and you can listen to its call, zoom in and rotate a 3-d view and look at photos, art
works and scientific drawings – even a skeleton.”
Matapihi gives people one-stop access to the digital collections of the Alexander Turnbull Library, Auckland Art Gallery
Toi o Tâmaki, Auckland City Libraries, Christchurch City Libraries and Otago Museum.
“This extends the reach of our online collection even further,” says Otago Museum director, Shimrath Paul. “Matapihi
will be great for research or schoolwork – or for just taking a look through resources that help us tell the stories of
our nation’s identity, culture and heritage.”
"We're proud to be part of Matapihi," says Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tâmaki director Chris Saines. "By working
together, we've given New Zealanders and the world a new way into our country's history, arts, people, nature and
society."
“Matapihi is a collaborative project of the National Digital Forum – museums, archives, art galleries, educational
institutions, libraries and government departments working together to enhance access to New Zealand’s digital culture
and heritage,” says Penny Carnaby.
“Matapihi’s been built to grow as new partners come on board, so there’s lots more still to come. It’s an exciting step
towards achieving the government’s vision for New Zealand to be ‘a world leader at using information and technology to
realise economic, social and cultural goals’, as set out in the Draft Digital Strategy.”
The National Library has developed Matapihi in collaboration with Alexander Turnbull Library, Archives New Zealand,
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tâmaki, Auckland City Libraries, Christchurch City Libraries, New Zealand Film Archive, Otago
Museum and Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand.
Connect to Matapihi
http://www.matapihi.org.nz
ENDS