item details
NameTe Pahi Medal
ProductionJohn Austin; silversmith; 1806; New South Wales
Classificationmedallions
Materialssterling silver
Techniquessilversmithing, engraving
DimensionsOverall: 44.56mm (width), 44.56mm (height), 1.44mm (depth), 44.56mm (diameter)
Registration NumberGH024416
Credit lineCollection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and the Auckland War Memorial Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira. Purchased 2014
Overview
The Te Pahi Medal: Forged in Friendship
This medal is the first official state gift given to a Māori chief by a foreign leader. Yet this national treasure vanished from Aotearoa New Zealand for over 200 years.
Te Pahi, a Northland chief, sailed to Sydney in 1805 to establish trade ties with Philip Gidley King, Governor of New South Wales. His arrival caused a sensation, and the charismatic chief impressed many – especially King. He gave Te Pahi this elegantly engraved medal to mark the successful diplomatic visit – and the friendship between the two leaders.
But just a few years later in 1809, Te Pahi was dead, in violent circumstances.