Carving of Rongomaiwahine unveiled at Māhia Beach playground

Rongomaiwahine pakeke Pua Taumata with the new whakairo by Gisborne carver Boydie Te Nahu at the Māhia Beach playground, at its unveiling in the early hours of Sunday, May 12.

A stunning carving of Rongomaiwahine, the ancestor of the people of the Māhia Peninsula, emerged glistening from the darkness at an early-morning unveiling earlier this month. Liz Smith shares the story of this whakairo by Gisborne master carver Boydie Te Nahu as well as Nga Manu o Taiharuru, a community-led kaupapa to develop accessible and fit-for-purpose recreation and play spaces for the whānau of Māhia.

Tamariki will play safely under the protective gaze of Rongomaiwahine at the Māhia Beach playground after Ngā Manu o Taiharuru was officially blessed at an early morning karakia this month.

Wairoa District Council pouahurea Māori Duane Culshaw conducted the karakia as the life-like figure emerged out of the darkness glistening into the light, while Rongomaiwahine/Ngāi Te Rākatō pakeke Pua Taumata looked on.

Taumata said it was a special taonga for the iwi because it represented the beginning of the return of taonga that had been destroyed by early Europeans. This whakairo/carving also represented the beginning of Māori identifying themselves with pou and pūrākau , he said.

“This whakairo will uphold the mana of Rongomaiwahine - her many whānau, hapū and ancestors.”

Rongomaiwahine kuia and Kaiuku Marae trustee Pauline Tangiora, JP, QSO, QSM, described the whakairo as a “beautiful pou” and said it was a long-awaited dream of hers and Te Whānau o Rongomaiwahine to have a carving such as this in Māhia.

Tangiora believed the children would benefit from such a taonga which depicts three rangatahi under the protection of Rongomaiwahine. This was also a beautiful way of telling the story of their ancestor, she said.

“It shows just how much children enrich our existence as they laugh and they play such an important part of our daily lives.”

Tangiora praised local Māhia supporters of the community project who raised funds for it, and thanked the whānau who gave up their time at no cost to complete it.

Korero from Rohan Ormond gifted the name Ngā Manu o Taiharuru, then korero from master carver Boydie Te Nahu of Gisborne provided detail around the whakairo design.

Ngā Manu o Taiharuru is a community-led kaupapa that evolved from the growing need for accessible recreation and play spaces for Māhia.

The project team includes representation from the Mahisian Wave Warriors, Māhia Social Club, Māhia community groups and local whānau.

The vision was to create a new playground and all-weather sports court to support and promote physical and mental wellbeing, and encourage tamariki, rangatahi and whānau to connect and participate in active recreation.

The new playground opened in December 2023 and work has begun on a new multisport court on the Ormond reserve.

“Anchored in this kaupapa is the importance of connection,” group members said.

“The creation of whakairo ensures a collective sense of ownership and kaitiaki and creates space for whānau to come together, to connect, experience and play.

“The whakairo is a significant community taonga that speaks to the connection between people and place.

“The whakairo design and process was informed by tangata whenua and mana whenua and is respectful of the cultural and environmental significance of the site,” they said.

Pauline Tangiora and Mark Te Nahu pictured with the new pou at Māhia Beach playground. Mark is a relative of the carver, Boydie Te Nahu.

Rohan Ormond, who works in Australia, has whakapapa links to Rongomaiwahine and was cultural adviser for Kaiuku/Okurarenga Marae, said Ngā Manu o Taiharuru represented the aspirations of the kaupapa for the whole community.

The whakairo held the mana of yesterday and the mana of the people of Rongomaiwahine, young and old, he said.

The name Ngā Manu o Taihahuru was offered by a saying uttered in 1828 by the Ngāi Tū leader, Toiroa Te Ikariki.

At the time the local Rongomaiwahine people were in the pa Okurarenga, which was besieged by a force mainly comprised of warriors from Tūwharetoa, Waikato and Tūhoe tribes. Ngā Manu o Taiharuru references the people of Māhia.

“Our local birds like the shag or gull are not scared off easily by the rumble of the sea as that is their natural habitat, they are familiar with it. A bird of the forest may easily be startled and forced to flee as they are unaccustomed to our surroundings, and vice- versa.

“The same goes for us local people. We have a different connection with the area as this is our home, our natural habitat.

“We will always have visitors come and go but at the end of the day this is our home and our roots run deep into her. And so we look after her, that she may look after us and continue to provide for us.

“Let our young ones be the Manu o Taiharuru, let the area be their playground, where they can allow their visitors to come and go, but they stay and be the custodian/kaitiaki of it.”

Ormond believes the youth of Māhia are lucky to have a group of people who have made an effort to provide them with recreational areas to occupy them and help get a bit of fresh air into their lungs.

He added that when you think about young children and the noise they make when having fun, they are like the bird that welcomes in the new day.

“Let our young ones be the Manu o Taiharuru - let that area be their playground.”

The whakairo created by Boydie Te Nahu stands tall and proud. He says “let the chisel do the talking” . . . and it did - in a beautiful and profound way.

“Depicted on the carving is Toiroa where his whakatauākī is the underlying foundation of which this whakairo, and kaupapa, is built upon,” Te Nahu said.

“The two tongues symbolise his words and the volume they speak, then and now.

“Second, we have Rongomaiwahine and she is placed in the middle holding on to three rangatahi. These three rangatahi represent aroha, manaaki and kaitiakitanga. By placing these together within the whakairo, all who enter the space will share love for each other, care for and look after one another.

“At the top, ngā hapu o Te Māhia sit within these carved kōwhaiwhai designs, symbolising the people of Te Māhia and their roots that run deep into her.

“There is another reference to Kahungunu whare and its pou tokomanawa.

“Our whakairo will be no different to that of a heart and its beat,” Te Nahu said.

“Many will come, young and old, and all shall be bathed in the aroha, mana and kaitiakitanga of Te Manu o Taiharuru as long as it shall stand perched.”