ABSTRACT
Repatriation requests for all or part of the Reischek collection, taken from New Zealand to Austria, first began during World War II. Though initially for the entire collection to be returned, these requests have thus far resulted in two repatriations to New Zealand in 1985 and 2015 of some human remains from the collection. The requests narrowed, then broadened again somewhat, based on what was seen to be achievable at different times, and involved civilians, museum staff and officials. By following the history of the collection, from the time it was collected in the 1870s and 1880s, through seventy years of repatriation negotiations, this chapter offers an insight into the changing nature of repatriation negotiations more broadly. Shifts in attitudes can be seen from fears of creating a precedent, to suggesting payment or an object in exchange, through to recognition of descendants then condition-free repatriation based on relationships of goodwill.
