Te Pouwhenua ki Motupipi
MOTUPIPI SCHOOL POUWHENUA
PICTURED: Motupipi Estuary from Motupipi Hill
Phil Castle
kupu whakataki
Tēnā koutou e te whānau whānui o Motupipi. Tēnei te mihi kau ake a Ngāti Tama ki ngā tamariki me te whānau o te kura me te hapori whānui o Motupipi i te āhuatanga ki te pouwhenua e tū ake nei. Kia kaha, kia manawa piharau. Tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.
Greetings to the community of Motupipi. Ngāti Tama would like to acknowledge the children, their families and the wider community of Motupipi for the auspicious occasion of the unveiling and blessing of the pouwhenua at Motupipi School on December 6th, 2019. We look forward to working closer together to develop an enduring relationship.
‘Kia manawa piharau’
BE STOUT HEARTED LIKE THE LAMPREY EEL
HISTORICAL
kōrero tuku iho
As the name ‘Motupipi’ would suggest, the estuary surrounding the island was renowned for the gathering of this shellfish delicacy.
At first glance it seems the island is detached from the mainland, and it probably was in the past, however it is now joined and surrounded by farmland at the base.
MOTU - island
PIPI - bivalve shellfish
It is currently a popular recreational site for bikers and hikers alike and is now generally referred to as Motupipi Hill.
The surrounding area takes its name from the island including the primary school and the pouwhenua which bears the same name. The pouwhenua signifies the important relationship between Ngāti Tama, the school and the local community.
PICTURED:
Ngāti Tama ki Te Tauihu area of interest, the Top of the South Island
The Ngāti Tama families who settled permanently in Mohua and maintained ahi kā throughout the Bay, from Te Matau (Separation Point) to Te Tai Tapu including among others, the whānau of:
• Takarei Pairata at Wharawhārangi
• Te Wharerangi, Te Whitu and Te Hāwera at Taupō
• Te Moko Tairehe, Paramena Te Haereiti and Te Pouwhero at Wainui
• Te Meihana Te Ao and Rāmeka Te Ketu at Tākaka
• Pirika Tanginui at Tukurua and Aorere
• Hēnare Te Ranga at Parapara
• Hori Te Karamu and Herewini Te Roha at Aorere and Tomatea.
• Te Rāhui at Paturau
They are the tāngata whenua who should be acknowledged in Mohua and Motupipi.
PICTURED:
Top -John Ward-Holmes and Chrissy Griffiths
Bottom - Mairangi Reiher and carver Tim Wraight
Te Moko Tairehe and Te Meihana gave rise to the Mason and Ward-Holmes whānau, and Pirika Tanginui was a Ngāti Tama ancestor of the Mitchell whanau. These families have maintained ahi kā to the present day. (Whakapapa source: J. Mitchell)
PICTURED: Ngā tauira o te Kura o Motupipi
DESCENDANTS OF TE MOKO TAIREHE AND TE MEIHANA: From Left- Mairangi Reiher, Margie Little, Makere Chapman, John WardHolmes, Bev and Bob Purdie, Butch and Kiriana Little
The basic indicative design of the pouwhenua at Motupipi School is a simple natural body taking the form of a stylised kaitaka with sparsely placed kōwhaiwhai patterns representing the mana of Ngāti Tama.
TŌNA ĀHUA Design
The spiral koru patterns reflect aspects of the birdlife with the pākura pattern being in typical Taranaki style and the kaitiakitanga of the natural environment that the children are involved in.
The small koru represents the native pūpū (Powelliphanta snail) which lives on Piki-ki-runga (Tākaka Hill).
The ūpoko of the pou represents a Ngāti Tama tupuna carved in the same way as the head of a tokotoko with the conical peak representing Taranaki mounga.
PICTURED RIGHT
Carver Tim Wraight explaining the designs on Motupipi at the Dawn Ceremony, 6th Dec 2019
tōna āhua DESIGN
This has the face looking forward towards the future and back to remember the past. The main surface pattern on the ūpoko and also the kaitaka border is ritorito representing te whānau harakeke. At the base is the face of a tamaiti peering out from the protective cloak representing the children at the school.
Ngāti Tama acknowledges the carver Tim Wraight (resident at Ōtūwhero) for hiscreative interpretation and in particular for incorporating specific aspects pertaining to Ngāti Tama and their Taranaki origins in the Motupipi area inMohua. Tēnā rā koe kei te rangatira e Tim.
kupu
GLOSSARY
ahi kā – long term occupation
kaitaka – prized cloak
kaitiakitanga – guardianship
koru – spiral patterns
kōwhaiwhai – decorative ornamental pattern
Mohua – Golden Bay
mounga - mountain
pākura – pūkeko, swamp hen
pou/pouwhenua – identity marker
ritorito – flax pattern
tamaiti – child
whānau harakeke – the flax family
tokotoko – walking stick
tupuna – ancestor
ūpoko – head
Ngāti Tama ki Te Waipounamu Trust was formed to represent ngā uri o Ngāti Tama who whakapapa to Te Tauihu o Te Waka-ā-Maui (top of the South Island).
The Trust was established in April 2013 to receive, hold, manage and administer the Trust Fund for the benefit of Ngāti Tama ki Te Tauihu. For more information about Ngāti Tama ki Te Waipounamu Trust, GO TO: www.ngati-tama.iwi.nz
