Rare taonga have come home at last

Mark Jones (left), Mike Spedding and Henry Jones, at the handover ceremony in Wairoa. Photo / Supplied

Two maori taonga were found by two brothers back in the 1940s, who had no idea how valuable they would turn out to be.

Alfred and Henry Jones were teenagers when they found a patu moka (stone pounder) on the Rangiahua Pa site, just 1km down the road from their house in Nuhaka.

The pounder had been left there by their father, after he originally found it on Moumoukai Mountain.

"We used to keep the patu in a cupboard in our cowshed, it was always there. I used to chase my brother with it when he would give me a bit of stick," says younger brother Mark Makuaiterangi Jones.

Shortly after, an adze or stone toki was found on the beach near Tahaenui, only a few kilometres out of Nuhaka.

We used to keep the patu in a cupboard in our cowshed, it was always there. I used to chase my brother with it when he would give me a bit of stick.

Mark Makuaiterangi Jones

Both items were used by the Rakaipaaka people when they lived on the pa site and are thought to be at least 300 years old. Mark was only about 8 years old at the time when his older brothers found them and he says they used to use them as doorstops.

"As young guys chasing each other to hit each other on the head with these, there came a point where one of them thought we need to protect these things, so that was that."

In 1962, the decision was made to hand them over to the Tairawhiti Museum for safekeeping.

However, they were not able to be put on display permanently in Tairawhiti, so the family asked for them to be uplifted and taken back to the Wairoa Museum.

The taonga will be in storage during the short term but are destined to be part of a major exhibition that will open early in the new year.

Wairoa Museum director Mike Spedding said: "It's a really big deal. What's really great is the museum is taking some responsibility to re-connect these taonga back to the community."

Mark, now in his70s, and Henry, now in his 80s, were both able to be part of the handover ceremony in Wairoa and say: "We feel fulfilled, it's home now and I'm glad."

Tohu Harris with his wife, Natalie, at Friday night's awards ceremony in Hastings.

Joint award huge honour

Melbourne Storm's Tohu Harris and All Black halfback Aaron Smith have been jointly named Ngati Kahungunu Overall Sportsperson of the year.

"Being named alongside Aaron Smith as well as the past winners of this award is a huge honour, as they are some of the greatest sportsmen in New Zealand," Harris says.
"I was extremely surprised with the nomination and really humbled by the support I have in the Bay."

While Smith is with the All Blacks on their World Cup campaign, his mother, Bridget Smith, was present on the night to receive his award.

"He's a very humble young man and he feels so blessed because he gets to play rugby and live his dream," she says.