Volunteers tidy up at harakeke hui

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Crossword 282

The winner of the May crossword competition is GRAHAM ROGERS

Congratulations, your prize is at Take Note.

Solutions

ACROSS: 9. Obese 10. Landlords 11. Imposed 12. Empower 13. Astonished 14. Levy 16. Extreme 19. Theorem 21. Digs 22. At all costs 26. Pilgrim 27. Mundane 28. Connector 29. Erode

DOWN: 1. Motivate 2. Despot 3. Bees knees 4. Eludes 5. Indecent 6. Slope 7. Draw near 8. Astray 15. Descended 17. Tag along 18. Estimate 20. Mastered 21. Depict 23. Lemurs 24. Shadow 25. Order

Several hundred metres past the carpark gates at Paines Ford, you will find an unsung piece of Aotearoa history: the Rene Orchiston pā harakeke (NZ flax) collection.

Late last month, volunteers from Collingwood Area School (CAS), Department of Conservation (DOC), Tasman District Council (TDC), Manawhenua ki Mohua, and the community, gathered for a harakeke hui to tidy, trim, and restore the health of the collection.

DOC biodiversity ranger (and weaver) Debra Price tells The GB Weekly that “the objective of the hui is to tidy up the flax bushes to make them more available to weavers”.

Pā harakeke is a planting of selected harakeke (flaxes) that are known for their muka (fibre) and weaving qualities such as length, colour, and strength. The original collection was established in the 1950s on farmland in Gisborne by Rene Orchiston, when she recognised that many traditional weaving varieties were no longer being cultivated. She realised there was the need for a collection to be collated and the knowledge to be documented. She began visiting marae, recording the names and uses of different flax – ultimately forming a collection of 63 of the best varieties over 30 years.

Her collection formed the basis of Te Kohinga Harakeke o Aotearoa – National New Zealand Flax Collection, which is now maintained by Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research. After advocacy from local Hazel Walls and her son Simon, along with fellow DOC ranger Shirley Heywood, Golden Bay manawhenua and Onetahua Marae became custodians of a replica collection in 1990.

Local weaver Bronwynn Billens of Te Awhi Rito weaving group (connected to the Onetahua Marae) specialises in traditional Māori weaving. Bronwynn says of the collection, “Our kaupapa (philosophy) is that weavers may access the harakeke to further their crafts. But the weaving [using harakeke] from here is not to be sold.” Bronwynn’s favourite harakeke cultivar in the collection is the Makaweroa, translating as “long hair”, which she uses to make kākahu (cloak or clothing).

For CAS students, it was an opportunity to volunteer and to learn how to care for harakeke. Student Louis Roberts Hanlon took a sharp knife and demonstrated how to harvest the outer leaves of the harakeke to protect the central shoot (rito) and the two leaves (awhi rito) on either side. He explained that the angle of the cut is also important, to stop moisture running into the plant stem. “The bit I like best is cutting the harakeke,” he said. Both Brownynn and Debra believe that weaving “is making a resurgence” and that the “art of weaving is growing”. Says Bronwynn, “It’s great having the younger generation learning, and they are very engaged. They are also [using their skills to] replenish their pā harakeke at Collingwood Area School.”

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Manawhenua ki Mohua wishes to thank Golden Bay Department of Conservation staff, and Tasman District Council kaihautu and wetland restoration staff, for their support with funding to continue the restoration of the Paines Ford pā harakeke. Along with CAS Year 7/8 students, staff, parents, and weavers, for their mahi to clean up the named varieties of harakeke from the Rene Orchiston collection. We are humbled to have this collection initiated by the late Hazel Walls in the 1990s. A huge day had by all, but the results are outstanding. He aha te mea nui? He tangata. He tangata. He tangata! What is the most important thing? It is people. It is people. It is people!

Cherie Byrne and Bronwynn Billens, for Te Awhi Rito weaving group.