Te Pouwhenua ki Te Mamaku
TASMAN SCHOOL POUWHENUA 2023
‘Kia tipu ai ēnei kākano hei rākau nui!’
MAY THESE TENDER SEEDLINGS GROW INTO MIGHTY TREES
kupu whakataki
E tuku mihi ana a Ngāti Tama ki te whānau whānui o te kura. Me mihi hoki ki ngā tamariki, ki ngā kaiako me ngā mātua e tautoko ana i te kaupapa nei.
The iwi of Ngāti Tama would like to extend their greetings to the wider community of Tasman School. Also, to the children, the staff and the parents on this auspicious occasion of the unveiling of the pouwhenua named Te Mamaku.
‘Kia tū, kia oho, kia mataara!’ BE UPSTANDING, BE ALERT AND BE PREPARED!
HISTORICAL ACCOUNT
kōrero tuku iho
Tasman School is situated in an area that is historically significant to Ngāti Tama and Te Āti Awa. According to local historian John Mitchell, of Ngāti Tama descent, Te Mamaku was the name of the nearby pā of the Ngāti Apa chief, Pakipaki. It was captured by the Ngāti Tama chief Te Pūoho ki-te-rangi and Te Manutoheroa of Te Āti Awa. Other accounts name Te Mōmaki Pā as the place where Pakipaki was defeated.
TE MAMAKU PĀ
Kina Peninsula Coastline (Photo from Google Earth)
Tasman School is located in sunny Tasman. The ancient pā site of Te Mamaku is a short distance from the school and is situated along the Kina Peninsula Coastline.
Ngāti Tama ki Te Tauihu area of interest, the Top of the South Island
KINA PENINSULA COASTLINE
Te Mamaku is a fitting name for this pouwhenua as it signifies the enduring relationship between Ngāti Tama, the school and the local area.
And also the importance of working together with all iwi of Te Tauihu.
Top - Tasman School sign
Middle - Tasman School playground
Bottom - Students at Kapa Haka practice
Moutere Inlet at low tide - Tasman School sits at the head of the inlet (Photo from Flikr)
Kina Peninsula Coastline Mariri original wetland range (Photo from Google Earth)
KINA BEACH
TE MAMAKU PĀ
TE MŌMAKI PĀ
TASMAN SCHOOL
The basic indicative design of the pouwhenua at Tasman School is a simple natural body taking the form of a stylised kaitaka with sparsely placed kōwhaiwhai patterns. The patterns on the kaitaka also represent the currents of water that flow in and out of the Moutere Estuary which the school sits at the head of.
These patterns reflect aspects of kaitiakitanga of the natural environment that the children and school community are involved in.
TŌNA ĀHUA
Design
The top is the head of a Ngāti Tama tupuna carved in the same way as the head at the top of a tokotoko with the conical peak representing Taranaki mounga.
This pou has the face looking forward to the future and back to remember the past. At the base is the face of a tamaiti peering out from beneath the protective cloak, representing the children at the school.
Ngāti Tama acknowledges the carver Tim Wraight (resident at Ōtūwhero) for his creative interpretation and in particular for incorporating specific aspects pertaining to Ngāti Tama and the local Moutere area.
Tēnā rā koe kei te rangatira e Tim.
tōna āhua DESIGN
The kōwhaiwhai designs on the cloak represent the currents of the sea which flow in and out of the Moutere Estuary daily with each tide. They also represent the pūpū takarepo which live in the mud.
The body of the pou is made of old Macrocarpa (Monterey Cypress) wood, and the head is made of tōtara..
On the ūpoko of the pou, the carved crescent patterns are called ritorito which represent the new growth of the harakeke.
See back cover for closer detail.
This pattern is traditional in the Ngāti Tama carving style and also serves as a metaphor for the nurturing environment of the children at the school. The words of a well-known children’s waiata reminds us to look after the natural habitat that the birds and other creatures rely on for their survival.
‘Hutia te rito o te harakeke, kei hea te kōmako e kō’
IF YOU PLUCK THE NEW SHOOTS OF THE FLAX PLANT, WHERE WILL THE BELLBIRD SING?
kupu GLOSSARY hou
harakeke – NZ Flax (Phormium Tenax)
kaitaka – prized cloak
kaitiakitanga – guardianship
kōmako – bellbird (also korimako)
koru – spiral patterns
kōwhaiwhai – decorative spiral pattern
mana - influence, status
mounga - mountain pou/pouwhenua – identity marker
pūpū takarepo – mud snails
rākau - trees or wood
ritorito – flax pattern
tamaiti – child
Taranaki Mounga - Mt. Taranaki
Te Mamaku – ancient pā site (Kina Peninsula Coastline)
Te Tauihu – top of the South Island
te whānau harakeke – the flax family
tokotoko – walking stick
tōtara – NZ native tree (Podocarpus totara)
tupuna – ancestor
ūpoko – head
waiata – song
Ngāti Tama ki Te Waipounamu Trust was formed to represent ngā uri o Ngāti Tama who whakapapa to Te Tauihu o Te Waka a Māui (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:
