Ngahiwi and Terehia Walker at Te Taua Moana Marae: spreading the good kupu on Matariki. Photo / Dean Purcell
Ngahiwi and Terehia Walker at Te Taua Moana Marae: spreading the good kupu on Matariki. Photo / Dean Purcell
A Tāmaki Makaurau couple has promoted a number of community activities for Matariki in the Te Hau Kapua (Devonport) area to bring more understanding and enjoyment to the locals.
In the last few weeks, Terehia and husband Ngahiwi Walker helped organise twilight hīkoi up two local tipuna maunga (mountains): Takarunga(Mt Victoria) and Maungauika (North Head), in an initiative with the Devonport Peninsula Trust.
There, karakia and waiata were performed and lanterns, made at the local community centre and Torpedo Bay Navy Museum, shone out above the city.
The couple wrote waiata and trained an adult 35-member kapa haka rōpu which is performing in the community including at Ryman’s William Sanders retirement village.
One waiata welcomes people to Te Hau Kapua and acknowledges the appreciation of Matariki.
Terehia Walker said she had worked on promoting Matariki in her community since 2019.
She is the kaitohutohu (cultural adviser) at the local gallery Depot ArtSpace, and has designed a new T-shirt of the maunga Takarunga for Matariki, worn by those kapa haka performers.
Matariki hiko up Maunguika (North Head) at Te Hau Kapua (Devonport) on July 8, 2023. Photo / Anne Gibson
Ngahiwi Walker is a warrant officer seaman combat specialist in Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa the Royal New Zealand Navy and cultural adviser to Chief Admiral David Proctor. He has been in the navy for 36 years.
The couple are also kapa haka kaiako (tutors) at Belmont Intermediate School. which their mokopuna attend and at St Leo’s Catholic School.
Both also work with the local ecological group Restoring Takarunga Hauraki.
Hīkoi up Maungauika (North Head) last Saturday night, which the Walkers helped organise. Photo / Anne Gibson
Tomorrow night, the couple have organised a hāngī, given for a koha. That is for about 100 people at the local community centre which has provided funding.
The Walkers are also closely involved in the navy’s Te Taua Moana Marae which in 2020 celebrated its 20th birthday.
That marae is at Ngau Te Ringaringa Bay (Ngataringa) and is one of the first places that new navy recruits gather as manuhiri (visitors) beneath Te Waharoa, Tangaroa - the gateway in front of the wharenui, Te Whetu Moana.
Anne Gibson has been the Herald’s property editor for 23 years, has won many awards, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.
