New opportunities call for new logo
The branding includes a new logo which was inspired by the te reo Māori meaning for the incorporation’s name, its history and the local regional influences of whakairo (carving). The Board and Executive team enjoyed the process of developing the new design with some exciting and illuminating discussions taking place along the way. One of the meanings of the te reo Māori word ‘awhi’ is to embrace, support and care for. AWHI has also become the acronym for the ĀtihauWhanganui Incorporation, which puts the manaaki of its whenua, its whānau, its animals and its customers at the core of its strategic values. It was important therefore to bring this element of nurture and support into the new logo. 14
TOITŪ TE WHENUA
The essence of the design is of two hands coming together and the original inspiration was found in a book Te Ara Tapu, about the Whanganui Regional Museum collection of taonga that includes whakairo rākau. The placement of hands by a carver tells a lot about the person they are depicting. If the person is holding a weapon, it signifies their prowess as a fighter. If they are holding their tongue (a typical Whanganui design), they are keepers of knowledge. In the case of the logo, the design connects to the positioning of hands over the stomach which relates to either being female or being a provider, again reflecting the concepts of care and support.
A new consumer facing brand was launched last year as part of the Ātihau-Whanganui Incorporation (AWHI) journey to forge closer connections with customers.
The carving that provided the logo inspiration came from Tawhitinui, across the river from Moutoa Island near Rānana and shares the same influences as whakairo from Huriwhenua, Kauika at Rānana. These places are important in AWHI tribal history as Tawhitinui was the home of the famous Whanganui ancestors: Tamaūpoko, Hinengākau, Tūpoho and their first cousin Tamahaki. Kauika is where Taitoko Te Rangihiwinui (Major Kemp) built his whare rūnanga, Huriwhenua. This house was built to call the local iwi together to fight for the protection of their land. Te Rangihiwinui is an important historical figure for AWHI as he can be seen as the godfather of Māori