Ko Te Kāhui te ingoa o te pou

“I’ve had the opportunity to fulfill the dreams I had as a little boy who grew up in Ōmarama… To give visual form to the aspirations of our Papatipu Rūnanga, to assist them to have a presence back on the whenua,” said Ngāi Tahu artist Ross Hemera soon after the blessing of his cultural artwork at the entrance to Te Manahuna (the Mackenzie Basin) last week.

“The footprints of Ngāi Tahu continue to return to the landscape,” added Kaiwhakahaere Justin Tipa.

Justin, along with Arowhenua and Waihao Upoko Te Wera King and Darren Solomon, also representing Arowhenua, blessed the mahi toi in sub-zero temperatures in front of a rōpū of manuhiri and mana whenua.

Funded as part of a Waka Kotahi project to improve the visitor experience within Te Manahuna, including new pull-over areas and upgrades to stopping places, the artwork is a striking presence in front of the Kā Tiritiri o te Moana (the Southern Alps) and welcomes travellers to the alpine arena in front of them.

Arowhenua and Waihao Upoko Te Wera King addresses manuhiri ahead of the blessing of Te Kāhui.

Te Wera King says he feels proud of the artwork and what it represents. “For Ross to bring out what was in his mind in this way, from concept, through the engineering and fabrication to finished work, we are very proud.”

He added that over the past four years many things had jeopardised the project, including Covid, but those involved, including representatives from Waka Kotahi, Arowhenua, Waihao, and Moeraki “had worked hard to see the project to completion”.

James Caygill, director of Regional Relationships with Waka Kotahi, said while the project  provided safe areas for people to pull off the highways to witness spectacular landscape, it was very important to have supported the creation of the artwork. “This is just the start of their (Arowhenua, Waihao and Moeraki) much bigger vision to place pou across the district,” he said.

Justin Tipa said the presence of Ngāi Tahu had been minimalised across Te Manahuna over the past 100 years. “We’ve been pushed out of this landscape over successive generations. To have something back here that visibly represents us is significant… it’s a really special day.” He added that the pou was a “physical manifestation of our whakapapa on the landscape.”

Ross Hemera said the mahi toi paid homage to our tīpuna rock art tradition and was a celebration of that ancient artwork that could still be admired in the region.

Ngāi Tahu artist Ross Hemera addresses manuhiri and describes elements of the new mahi toi at the entrance to Te Manahuna (the Mackenzie Basin).

“The two uprights of the large pou represent the hulls of the Uruao and the Ārai-te-Uru waka. Between them, near the top, there are three tiki (figures) representing Te Kāhui Tipua, Te Kāhui Roko and Te Kāhui Takata and above that is Pouākai, our legendary giant bird,” he said.