A cultural ceremony was held at the Auckland War Memorial Museum to acknowledge the return of six ancestors.

Repatriation Poroporaki, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestors returned from the Auckland War Memorial Museum and University of Auckland, Wednesday 28 August 2024.
Repatriation Poroporaki, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestors returned from the Auckland War Memorial Museum and University of Auckland, Wednesday 28 August 2024. (c) Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira.

Five ancestors have been returned by the Auckland War Memorial Museum, and one ancestor returned by the University of Auckland.

One ancestor from the Dambeemangaddee community of Collier Bay, Western Australia was returned into the care of community representatives present at the handover.

One ancestor was returned under stewardship of the Australian Government at the request of the Wamba Wemba community, New South Wales, and four ancestors with provenance to a state and Australia have been returned under Australian Government stewardship so they can be cared for closer to home.

The Government will provide care for these ancestors until such time as they can be returned to their communities.

Australia's National Cultural Policy Revive acknowledges the importance of respecting and promoting the rights of First Nations people to repatriate their ancestors and cultural heritage material.

The Australian Government has supported international repatriation for over 30 years, which has seen the return of over 1,700 ancestors from across ten countries back to Australia.