In what they believe is a NZ first, local community group Awa Puoro ki te Ao and the Alexander Library Te Rerenga mai o te Kāuru in Whanganui have come together to provide a selection of traditional Māori instruments (taonga pūoro), that can be loaned from the library.

Awa Puoro ki te Ao is a group with an interest in playing and teaching others about ngā taonga puoro that formed in 2019 and regularly performs around Whanganui. The ‘library loan’ idea was born from a discussion among members around how the traditional Māori musical instruments could be made more accessible to the public.

The instruments have been placed in a kete (kit) that contains a selection of instruments, two books to help people get started, and a whāriki (mat). The kit will be known as Kete Puoro (kit of instruments) and will be available to loan from the Alexander Library from May 26.