Whānau artwork takes pride of place in foyer of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei’s million-dollar HQ

A stunning piece of art by Graham Tipene takes pride of place at the entrance of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei’s downtown Auckland headquarters.

The art depicts Tāmaki Makaurau in 1840, before Ngāti Whātua gifted 3000 acres (1200ha) to the Crown, establishing what is now downtown Auckland.

Tipene’s tūpuna Tamahiki Reweti was a signatory to the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi and the gifting of the land marked the first - but not the last - land transaction between Ngāti Whātua and the Crown.

Ngāti Whātua Ōrakei deputy chairman Ngarimu Blair said the artwork shows the original shoreline, with its mix of sheltered bays and streams, and headlands that once protruded to the Waitematā.

The artwork graphically shows the huge extent of the reclamations made by the Auckland Harbour Board, now Ports of Auckland, that began in the west and have since marched east as land and wharves have been sold.

Blair said all of the headland sites were destroyed by picks and shovels and used to fill in the once-picturesque bays below.

Despite the colonial destruction, many of the names and stories of these places remain among the descendants of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei’s ancestors who lived, gardened and fished from the Waitematā shoreline.

Blair said the art had great significance for their iwi and was even more special as a member and trust board elected representative created it.

“It shows the foreshore of Auckland with the original line in the pink and the land reclamation by the Auckland Harbour Board,” Blair said.

“The port has marched from the west all the way to the east and they would have kept going if they could.”

Blair points out other sights of significance along the coastal Waitematā and where sacred iwi sites were destroyed by colonialists.

He said the art will be a constant reminder to the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei people of how much their ancestors gave up.

Joseph Los’e joined NZME in 2022 as Kaupapa Māori editor. Los’e was a chief reporter, news director at the Sunday News newspaper covering crime, justice and sport. He was also editor of the NZ Truth and before joining NZME worked for 12 years for Te Whānau o Waipareira.