Legal Notice
Intellectual Property &
Cultural Heritage Rights
Tohu Heritage New Zealand · Last updated July 2026
Copyright Ownership
All content on this website is owned by Tohu Heritage New Zealand and is protected by copyright. This includes, but is not limited to, our digital heritage records, data collections, written descriptions, site analyses, and the design and code of the site itself.
Copyright arises automatically upon creation under the New Zealand Copyright Act 1994. No registration is required for protection to apply.
New Zealand is a signatory to the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, meaning Tohu Heritage's copyright is automatically recognised in over 180 member countries without formality.
© 2026 Tohu Heritage New Zealand. All rights reserved.
What You May Do
- View 3D models and content through this website for personal, non-commercial purposes.
- Share links to pages on this website.
- Reference or cite specific sites or descriptions in academic or educational work, with attribution to Tohu Heritage New Zealand and a link to the source page.
- Contact us to discuss licensing for commercial, educational, or research use.
What Is Not Permitted
The following actions are strictly prohibited without prior written permission from Tohu Heritage New Zealand:
- Downloading, copying, extracting, or reproducing our 3D data in any format, or any file or model derived from it.
- Screen recording, video capture, or photography of 3D models for commercial distribution, social media monetisation, or broadcast.
- Creating derivative works, reprocessed models, or alternative renderings based on our 3D data.
- Reproducing written content, photography, or descriptive text for commercial purposes without attribution and written consent.
- Circumventing, disabling, or bypassing any technical protection measures applied to this website or its assets.
Bypassing technical protection measures may constitute an offence under section 226A of the New Zealand Copyright Act 1994 and equivalent provisions of the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and the EU Copyright Directive (DSM Directive 2019/790).
Nature of Digital Heritage Records
The digital records presented on this website are the result of original creative and technical work, from access and documentation on site through to our own processing and artistic configuration of the final record. This constitutes original authorship, protected as an artistic work under New Zealand and international copyright law.
The level of skill, effort, and judgment applied in capturing and presenting these heritage sites is substantial and original. The digital model is not a mere reproduction of a physical object. It is an authored creative work that carries its own independent copyright.
Any unauthorised extraction or reproduction of these models is an infringement of copyright, regardless of the public or heritage status of the underlying physical structure.
Indigenous Rights & Kaitiakitanga
Several sites documented by Tohu Heritage hold deep cultural, spiritual, and ancestral significance to Māori. Standard intellectual property law does not fully reflect the nature of indigenous cultural heritage, and we take our obligations seriously.
We recognise the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), to which New Zealand is a signatory. Article 31 affirms that indigenous peoples have the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their cultural heritage, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions.
We acknowledge the significance of the Wai 262 Treaty of Waitangi claim (Ko Aotearoa Tēnei, 2011), which raised foundational questions about the Crown's obligations regarding taonga and the protection of Māori cultural identity. These questions remain central to how heritage documentation should be conducted and governed.
The relevant iwi and hapū retain spiritual and cultural guardianship, or kaitiakitanga, over the sites we document and the knowledge associated with them. Documenting a place does not transfer, diminish, or override these rights in any way.
Users must not reproduce, commercialise, or distribute imagery, descriptions, or digital data relating to Māori heritage sites without the prior, free, and informed consent of the relevant iwi or hapū. We encourage anyone wishing to engage with Māori heritage content to contact us first so we can facilitate appropriate consultation.
DMCA & Copyright Notices
If you believe content on this website infringes your copyright, please notify us with the subject line "Copyright Notice" and include: a description of the work you believe has been infringed, the URL where the allegedly infringing content appears, your contact details, and a statement that the information in your notice is accurate.
If you discover Tohu Heritage content being used without authorisation by a third party, we would appreciate being informed so we may take appropriate action.
Permissions & Licensing
We welcome enquiries from researchers, educators, broadcasters, documentary makers, and cultural institutions who wish to use our 3D heritage content. Licensing arrangements are available on a case-by-case basis. All licensing discussions involving Māori heritage sites will include consultation with the relevant iwi or hapū as an integral part of the process.
