The Transport Agency is dismayed over the "senseless" attack on two recently unveiled pou on State Highway 36 between Tauranga and Rotorua.
Bay of Plenty regional director Harry Wilson said the pou [posts] represented many hours of skilled workmanship and displayed the area's rich and varied history. "Why anyone would want to destroy such magnificent works of art is beyond a thinking person's comprehension."
The pou, representing two iwi from the Kaharoa Mangorewa area, were designed and built by local master carvers. They were unveiled and blessed just two weeks ago at a ceremony marking the end of a joint Transport Agency and Rotorua District Council project to improve safety in the Mangorewa Gorge.
The pou acknowledge and represent the relationship between tangata whenua (people of the land), their ancestors, and their environment or turangawaewae (place of standing). They also represent those who worked on the highway and those who use the route.
The Transport Agency, the council and iwi are considering options for the future of the pou.
Vandals destroy highway pou
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