The Karanga Aotearoa Repatriation Programme at Te Papa was established in July 2003. It is mandated by the New Zealand government and supported by iwi (Mäori and Moriori tribal groups) indigenous to New Zealand.

The program involves the repatriation of Mäori and Moriori human remains from international institutions to their relevant iwi in New Zealand. These are held by institutions in many parts of the world including Europe, Australia, and the Americas. The program is made up of four main activities including the scoping and research of Mäori ancestral remains held overseas, negotiations with overseas institutions and iwi, physical repatriations, and the domestic return of köiwi tangata to their final resting place.

Since 2004 Te Papa has carried out repatriations from 26 separate institutions. Te Papa currently holds approximately 85 toi moko and 500 köiwi tängata. However, several were repatriated by the former National Museum prior to 1998 and also came from the collection held by the Dominion Museum.

To date the program has repatriated köiwi tangata and Toi moko from institutions in Great Britain, the United States, the Netherlands, Argentina, Australia, and Germany. It has also domestically repatriated köiwi tangata back to the Mäori tribal groups Ngäti Apa, Muaüpoko, Ngäti Kuri, Ngäti Minipool, Rangitäne ki Wairau, Whanganui, and Te Rünanga o Moeraki.

Roughly 453 more Mäori and Moriori human remains have been identified in overseas institutions, 374 of which are in 11 institutions across Great Britain. In the United States there are 39 Toi moko, 2 skin fragments, and 38 köiwi tangata held in two institutions. There are also Toi moko and köiwi tangata in France, Sweden, Russia, Slovakia, and other European countries.

Summary of International Repatriations Carried Out by Te Papa Since May 2004