The skeletal remains of more than 80 people were the subject of a ceremony at Whanganui Regional Museum on Wednesday, acting director Libby Sharpe says.
The koiwi (human remains) were then reburied at Aramoho Cemetery, after a dignified service.
The ceremony and burial were the end of a lengthy process, with more to follow.
Nga Tangata Tiaki chairman Gerrard Albert told Radio New Zealand not much was known about the koiwi, including where they came from. Some had been in the museum's Whare Tapu (crypt) for more than 100 years, and others were brought from elsewhere.
The day began with a powhiri at the museum for a group from Te Papa Tongarewa, New Zealand's national museum in Wellington. Present were museum staff, kaumatua, Whanganui's mayor and councillors, and others.