The first glimpse of a new Treaty of Waitangi museum has been revealed ahead of its official opening today.
The Museum of Waitangi, part of a $14 million redevelopment of the Treaty Grounds, is being blessed by northern Maori at dawn and formally opened by the Governor-General, Sir Jerry Mateparae, this afternoon.
It features taonga, artefacts and around 500 images from private collections and museums around the world, some nearly 200 years old.
There will be a permanent exhibition at the museum called Ko Waitangi Tenei: This is Waitangi, which explores the stories behind the place and its people.
Among the exhibition's key pieces are a carved self-portrait by Ngapuhi leader Hongi Hika dating to 1814. Hika's trip to England to meet King George IV in 1820 was a key point in early Maori-British relations which paved the way for the Treaty.