Visit He Tohu
He Tohu is a permanent exhibition of 3 iconic constitutional documents that shape Aotearoa New Zealand including the Treaty of Waitangi. Visit and learn about New Zealand’s histories, the journeys these documents have taken, and what they mean for us now.
Admission is free
9am to 5pm — Monday to Friday
9am to 1pm — Saturday
Open Waitangi Day | Closed on other public holidays
National Library Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, corner Molesworth and Aitken Streets
Email — contact@hetohu.nz
See the original Te Tiriti o Waitangi
He Tohu is a permanent exhibition of 3 iconic constitutional documents that shape Aotearoa New Zealand. The documents are:
1835 He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni — Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand
1840 Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty of Waitangi
1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition – Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine.
Apologies for any construction noise
Construction has started on a 2-level link bridge connecting the new archival building to the National Library building. Building work will run from 3 April 2023 until September 2024.
The He Tohu interactive exhibition has temporarily been removed.
During your visit, you might hear some construction noise. We apologise for any inconvenience.
He Tohu experiences and groups
Visit He Tohu with your group. You can self-guide or request a free guided experience with our knowledgeable learning facilitators. Alternatively, we can come to you with our online webinar.
For any of these options, you must contact us to schedule a time for your group.
In the guided experience and webinar you will learn more about New Zealand’s histories, the journeys these documents have taken, and what they mean for us now.
Contact us before you bring your group
It is essential that you contact us to organise your He Tohu self-guided or guided experience. We will suggest a time that ensures your group has an unforgettable visit and that there are not too many other groups in the document room during your visit.
School groups
You can book a class visit to He Tohu in Wellington or Auckland to experience the history and significance of He Whakaputanga, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and the Women's Suffrage Petition.
Find out more about our school programmes
Guided experience
Cost — Free
Audience — whānau, work or other groups
Available — Tuesday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
Tour length — 60 minutes
Group size — up to 25
If you are in a group from the Public Sector we will give you a Te Tiriti o Waitangi workbook as part of your guided tour.
Get in touch to request your group's guided tour.
Email contact@hetohu.nz
Online He Tohu webinar
Cost — Free
Audience — whānau, work or other groups
Available — Tuesday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
Webinar length — 60 minutes
Group size — No limit to group size or number of participants joining online
Get in touch to request your group's online He Tohu webinar.
Email contact@hetohu.nz
Group self-guided visit
Do you have a group that wants to visit He Tohu at your own pace? Why not do a self-guided tour? Please note that the He Tohu interactive exhibition has temporarily been removed.
Cost — Free
Audience — whānau, work or other groups
Available — Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
Length — at your own pace
Group size — up to 25
Get in touch to request your group's self-guided visit.
Email contact@hetohu.nz
Make your group booking
Get in touch to request a He Tohu experience for your group.
Before you book you might like to have a look at our online resources.
Email contact@hetohu.nz
Getting here
Getting here is easy. If you’re driving, there’s pay-and-display parking on streets around the Library, including 2 dedicated accessible parks on Molesworth Street.
If you’re cycling, there are bicycle parking stands on Aitken St.
Pay and display parking all around the Library
MetLink bus and train timetables
Accessibility
He Tohu is wheelchair accessible. Come in on Aitken Street and take the lift to the ground floor. Our staff are ready if you’d like a hand with anything.
Download an accessibility map of He Tohu (pdf, 836KB)
Facilities
Facilities include:
a cloakroom and free lockers (on level 1) you can use to store your things while you’re here
accessible toilets
a wheelchair is available on request
free wifi throughout the building
interesting items available for purchase in our shop.
Take a break (and get a coffee) at HOME cafe
Bags and large items
You must check large items into the cloakroom or put them in a locker before you visit He Tohu. This includes bags and backpacks that are larger than small to medium-sized handbags.
Nearby places to visit
Carry on your experience at He Tohu by visiting some of the other places that make Aotearoa New Zealand run and tell our stories.
Research further at the Alexander Turnbull Library or Archives New Zealand
Online resources to explore before or after your visit
Explore our learning resources about the 3 iconic constitutional documents that shape Aotearoa New Zealand. These are useful before or after you visit us.
Adults
He Tohu workbooks — Resources for lifelong learners about the He Tohu exhibition.
Recorded events — From our E oho! event series amazing speakers from diverse backgrounds focussing on historical events, contemporary consequences and collective understanding.
Kōrero from the exhibition — Watch videos from the He Tohu exhibition and interviews with well-known New Zealanders about the documents.
Students
Learning activities — Activities to inspire and inform students as they explore concepts related to He Tohu.
Social inquiry resources — Resources to help school students explore contemporary issues — such as gender equality and cultural interaction.
Kōrero from the exhibition — Watch videos from the He Tohu exhibition and interviews with well-known New Zealanders about the documents.
He rauemi ako mā ngā kura reo Māori — iBook and iTunes U courses to guide your own community’s explorations of your history and relationship with He Whakaputanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
He Tohu workbooks — Resources for lifelong learners about the He Tohu exhibition.
Related content
Kōrero
Kōrero from the He Tohu exhibition about He Whakaputanga, the Treaty of Waitangi, and the Suffrage Petition, their history and visions for the future. He whakapapa kōrero, he whenua kura | Talking about our past to create a better future.Learning
Discover online resources and explore concepts related to He Whakaputanga (the Declaration of Independence), Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi) and the Women’s Suffrage Petition. Schools/kura — book a visit to He Tohu in Wellington or Auckland.
