A special morning at Kahawai Point today.
We officially blessed our front entrance, Ngaa Waka Takere, with mana whenua and our wider team. It is a marker of welcome, foundation, and connection to the waterways and stories of this area.
‘Ngaa Waka Takere’ (The Canoe Hulls) sculptures are cultural representations of both the Taihiki and Waiuku Rivers, which converge at Kahawai Point. These valuable water courses are of immense spiritual, cultural, traditional and customary significance to Ngaati Te Ata Waiohua. Both rivers were important waka travel corridors and provided connectivity to the wider arterial of the Manukau Harbour and the Waikato River via the Awaroa portage. The rivers have also been their paataka kai (food cupboard) for centuries, providing a bounty of fisheries, shellfish and resources.
The puuhoro pattern on the exterior of the sculptures acknowledges the mauri (life essence), flow and movement of the rivers, which is a priority to Ngaati Te Ata Waiohua and their kaitiakitanga (guardianship) responsibilities.
The sculptures also act as a gateway (waharoa), extending the value of ‘manaakitanga’ (welcome and hospitality) to visitors and also residents of the Kahawai Point community.
