The aim of the site is to make accessible digitised Pacific heritage items for anyone wanting to discover and learn about the Pacific.

It shares a variety of content including images, maps, manuscripts, as well as audio and video recordings.

This content is derived from various partners including museums, archives, libraries and galleries, as well as non-government organisations and community groups based in the Pacific.

By making visible these treasured items, Pacific people can reconnect with their history and heritage – much of which will be unknown to them.

As institutions digitise and make their collections on the internet, this site enables Pacific people to see these collections and ensure their culture and traditions will never be lost.

“It’s one thing for Pacific people to know they had their culture taken from them,” said Opeta Alefaio of the University of the South Pacific.

“It’s another thing entirely to not know the artefacts and records of that culture still exist.”

The Digital Pasifik website is a key part of the Pacific Virtual Museum, funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Australia and implemented by the National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga, in collaboration with the National Library of Australia.

Along with Digital NZ, Trove was able to contribute material held in the collections of its partner organisations across Australia.

One of the largest collections made accessible from Trove was the Pacific Islands Monthly from which we harvested over 95,000 records.

The website has already become a platform for Pacific-based creators to share their content alongside well-known institutions like the National Library of New Zealand, Australian National University and Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongrewa.