Carvings from mid-1800s Ngāti Kahungunu wharenui showcased in exhibition

EIT Te Pūkenga professor David Tipene-Leach (left), Kauri Te Atua (Ngāti Kere Pōrangahau descent), and Rangitane Tipene Matua. Photo / Supplied

Precious taonga from a mid-1800s Ngāti Kahungunu wharenui feature in an exhibition closing soon in Hastings.

The carvings from the 1875 wharenui Te Poho o Kahungunu I, at Rongomaraeroa Marae in Pōrangahau, were scattered across the country until recently but have now been repatriated.

The repatriation is the culmination of 35 years’ work, including for Ngāti Kere hapū, and this is the final exhibition before the taonga are returned home.

The educational provider’s Te Kura i Awarua Rangahau Māori Research Centre is presenting the exhibition at Hastings Community Art Centre.

“This is a big day for Ngāti Kere,” says David Tipene-Leach, EIT Te Pūkenga professor of Māori and indigenous research.

“This is a big day for our Te Kura i Awarua Rangahau Māori Centre. This is a big day for our smaller Archives unit. This is a big day for EIT | Te Pūkenga”.

The taonga were previously scattered across Otago Museum, Whanganui Regional Museum, Auckland Museum, MTG Hawke’s Bay Tai Ahuriri and the homes of Tipene Matua family members, the release says.

“And as it happened, these taonga happen to be on their way home. We’re in a new world where museums are giving taonga back to the owners. These days museums recognise that they don’t own everything that they hold, and they’re actively collaborating with people who can demonstrate connection and ownership to be able to take possession again,” Tipene-Leach says.

The taonga are being showcased alongside a rich trove of manuscripts charting important periods of Ngāti Kahungunu history, from two significant collections that have been passed down through the generations of two Māori whānau: the Tipene Matua and Blake whānau.

“These taonga don’t need to hold the house up anymore. It’s actually the people that are upholding them. Ngāti Kere are planning a building, whereby they can live and interact at more ease with these taonga,” EIT Te Pūkenga Poutiaki Taonga – archive manager Chris Bryant-Toi says.

The Auaka Tumutumu Te Kura i Awarua exhibition runs until Friday, August 4, at Hastings Community Art Centre.

It culminates in a one-day workshop and a three-day symposium that delves into conservation of taonga Māori and archiving of taonga manuscripts.