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A karakia blessing by the Department of Conservation's Kahui Kaupapa Atawhai team to release the 146 whales teeth before they are repatriated to Fiji.
DOC's Joe Harawira says it's great the items are finally being returned.
"We understand that these are very valuable to the people of the land and so it's our responsibility to be able to return these tabua back to Fiji."
Known in Fiji as tabua, the tooth of a sperm whale is made into a necklace, gifted as a cultural heirloom and passed down in families through generations.
Dali Jobson declared her 13-centimetre long tabua at customs in January when she returned from a trip to Fiji.
The tabua was gifted to her 9-year-old daughter by village elders in a formal ceremony and the family were devastated when it was confiscated at the border.
She says she's pleased to hear about the repatriation and hopes those who have had them seized may be able to collect them in Fiji.
"I'm relieved and really grateful. Also, just pleased that they recognised the cultural significance of the tabua and having it repatriated back to home is comforting for me as a Fijian living away from Fiji, that these things are protected and kept safe."
It's not commonly known, but an export permit is needed to take tabua overseas because it is one of 34,000 species covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES.
More than 90 percent of specimens seized at New Zealand's border under CITES are destroyed, but since the early 1990s, after a request from Fiji authorities, all tabua have instead been collected and stored by DOC.
Wendy Jackson is the head of New Zealand CITES Authority and says the repatriation is the first of its kind for DOC.
"We're pleased that we're able to do this and it's such a better outcome I think for conservation, I think for public awareness, I think for understanding the relationship between people, culture, nature. I just think it's fantastic yeah, it fits with what DoC's about."
John Scanlan is the Secretary General of the International Convention based in Geneva and will be attending the repatriation ceremony.
Mr Scanlan says repatriations under the convention are rare and the cultural significance of today's event is huge.
"It's an extraodinary event because it's blending culture with people with wildlife in a way we don't often see. At the same time we've seen that the repatriation was necessary because people were crossing international borders with tabua without getting the necessary permits. So it also gives us an opportunity to raise some awareness."
The repatriation ceremony will kick off a week-long regional workshop, attended by delegates from around the South Pacific, to raise awareness of CITES and improve implementation of the convention around the region.
