Hongi Hika gifts displayed

PROPERLY: Kaumatua Nau Epiha blesses the taonga in their new display case while Heritage New Zealand's Mita Harris looks on. PHOTO/PETER DE GRAAF

Three taonga thought to have been gifted by the Ngapuhi chief Hongi Hika to missionary James Kemp have been unveiled in a new display befitting their significance.

The three long-handled weapons, two of which bear marks showing they have been used in battle, have been kept at Kemp House in Kerikeri since the 1830s, moved only when threatened by floods such as those of 2007.

However, they were displayed as curiosities rather than the hugely significant artefacts they are.

That has now been put right with the chief's weapons, two tewhatewha and one pouwhenua, properly lit and displayed in a glass case with an explanation of their importance in te reo and English.

Friday's unveiling proved emotional for several of those taking part. Kerikeri Mission Station manager Liz Bigwood said the taonga represented the early relationship between Maori and Pakeha. It was Hongi Hika who had offered the missionaries protection, allowing them to set up at Kerikeri Basin in the 1820s.

"They're incredibly important for the rohe, for Ngapuhi, and the people of New Zealand, Maori and Pakeha alike," she said.

It was fitting that the unveiling coincided with Matariki, a time to remember those who had passed on.

Ms Bigwood said the improved display had been a long time coming, but it had been done properly and according to Maori protocol.

Local hapu had given guidance on how the weapons should be displayed and what they represented. They were keen for the taonga to be shared so Heritage New Zealand was considering how they could be displayed elsewhere.

Ngati Kura kaumatua Nau Epiha, who conducted the blessing, said the weapons were originally made to separate people, to make people dislike one another - but Hongi Hika gifted them to missionary James Kemp when he gave up his ways, in exchange for Kemp's gift of Christianity.

"I'm glad I'm the elder to bring these taonga back into reality," he said.