National Māori Authority Chair Matthew Tukaki is calling for the government to fund a "whakapapa project" to connect whānau to those buried in unmarked graves at Tokanui Cemetery.
The derelict Tokanui Hospital, south of Te Awamutu, opened in 1912 and closed in 1998. In 2016, a memorial was unveiled to 457 psychiatric patients buried in unmarked graves there. Matthew talks to Jesse about the project.
A corridor in Tokanui Psychiatric Hospital, which opened in 1912 and closed in 1998.. Photo: Harley Plowman
