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He said they are "elated" that the other missing iwi kupuna have been found after the museum were unable to locate them in 2021.

He also said that "given the 19th Century provenance of the iwi kῡpuna being brought to Belfast and the lack of professional collection management standards at the time," they had been unable to locate three sets of remains in 2022.

"Through our ongoing processes of collections reviews and documentation projects, in alignment with formal professional standards, National Museums NI was able to locate the missing iwi kῡpuna in November 2024."

Luxon announced in December that he would not be at Waitangi - choosing instead to celebrate the day in the South Island with its largest tribe - or iwi in Māori - Ngāi Tahu.

Iwi are groups of people who are joined by their shared ancestry and connection to nature.