\n<\/p>\n
Dr Lorraine Eade, chair of Ng\u0101ti R\u0101rua o Te Wairau Society, which now owns the item, said its significance was “beyond measure”.<\/p>\n
She said its return was an opportunity to acknowledge Cleghorn’s work for M\u0101ori people.<\/p>\n
The doctor advocated for their right to attend a local hospital instead of being required to travel further afield for medical treatment, Pitt Rivers Museum said.<\/p>\n
He also spent time educating families at their homes on the importance of taking public health measures, it added.<\/p>\n
Shane Graham, chief executive of Te R\u016bnanga o Ng\u0101ti R\u0101rua, a M\u0101ori authority, said the return was a momentous occasion.<\/p>\n
“It restores mana [prestige] and honours the deep emotional and cultural significance of our living connection to this taonga [treasure],” he said.<\/p>\n
Prof Laura Van Broekhoven, director of the Pitt Rivers Museum, said: “We are very pleased that the day has come for the Kahu Kiwi to return home.”<\/p>\n
A ceremony was held in Oxford earlier to mark the cloak’s departure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n