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He whakapapa kōrero, he whenua kura
Talking about our past, to create a better future
Panui 6 - December 2016
Ngāpuhi leaders carry a mauri stone towards the He Tohu construction site.
Ngāpuhi and manawhenua kaumatua, kuia and leaders and the Department of Internal Affairs He Tohu project team.
He Tohu exhibition mauri stones laid in moving, ancient ceremony
Another significant cultural milestone has been reached with the laying of mauri stones in the new He Tohu document room within the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, in Wellington.
On Tuesday 29 November, at first light, a small group of Ngāpuhi, manawhenua and He Tohu project members witnessed an ancient and sacred ceremony involving karanga, karakia, whaikōrero and waiata.
The ceremony was part of the on-going process, including the blessing of the site and exhibition name launch, which ensure the appropriate tikanga requirements are provided for the new permanent exhibition of the documents that shape our nation.
The ceremony was led by Wellington manawhenua tikanga leader Kura Moeahu, who has guided the He Tohu project on tikanga matters since its inception.
In Māori culture, everything has “mauri” – a living energy or life force. Mauri is concentrated in specially selected stones and are placed in the foundations – or “heart” – of significant new buildings.
The He Tohu mauri stones were sourced from places of geographic significance to each iwi and have their own special name and story. It is the obligation of each iwi and Department of Internal Affairs leaders to remember these stories and the commitments they represent.
The sacred ceremony was followed by moving whaikōrero (formal oratory) by iwi leaders and kaumatua that talked of the kinship ties between Wellington and the North, historical events pertaining to the documents and the ongoing aspirations for the documents and Crown-iwi partnership.
Each speaker made clear the important ancestral, geographical and historical connections and stories that link us together.
Through the exhibition documents, and what they represent, the mauri stones become sacred receptacles holding the aspirations, intentions and hopes of those people from our past and those generations yet to come.
The Prime Minister at the launch of the new Te Puna Foundation, National Library of New Zealand.
Enabling all young New Zealanders to experience He Tohu – the inaugural campaign of the newly launched Te Puna Foundation
School students from throughout New Zealand will be among the first to benefit from Te Puna Foundation, a new charity launched at the National Library of New Zealand on 30 November 2016.
The Minister of Internal Affairs, Hon Peter Dunne, announced the Te Puna Foundation’s inaugural fundraising campaign will help school students across the country experience He Tohu, the permanent exhibition of constitutional documents that shape our nation, which opens in school Term 2 2017.
A key focus of the exhibition is educating young New Zealanders – with a focus on 10-15 year olds – about the history and on-going significance of these three documents to our national story.
The Prime Minister, Rt Hon John Key, also announced the Government would, for the next two years, match every dollar the Foundation raises up to $2 million. This will go a long way towards the aspiration of Te Puna Foundation, to allow every student to experience He Tohu at least once during their school years, but also to contribute to future campaigns undertaken by the Foundation.
National Librarian Bill Macnaught, Chair of Te Puna Foundation, welcomed the announcement. “I’m delighted our first campaign will enable more school students to visit He Tohu at the National Library in Wellington, or to engage with it digitally.”
“The success of Te Puna Foundation will come from developing partnerships with businesses, the community and of course Government. I’m excited by the possibilities of what we can achieve together.”
Minister of Māori Development visits He Tohu site
The Minister of Māori Development, Te Ururoa Flavell, visited the He Tohu construction site at the National Library of New Zealand building in Wellington in late November. Mr Flavell, who has been briefed regularly on the project throughout its development, was accompanied by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Peter Dunne, under whose ministry the He Tohu project is being developed.
A partnership between the Crown and iwi Māori, the He Tohu exhibition will house the nation’s most precious constitutional documents:
- 1835 He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni – Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand
- 1840 Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty of Waitangi
- 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition – Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine
The sustainable use of West Coast rimu, felled in the Kahurangi National Park during the destructive 2014 Cyclone Ita, was of particular interest to the Minister of Maori Development, Te Ururoa Flavell, when he visited the exhibition’s construction site in the National Library of New Zealand with the Minister of Internal Affairs, Peter Dunne, in late November.
Mr Flavell said he had visited the national park soon after the cyclone, and was pleased to see the precious native timber being used in the exhibition’s document room, which will house our nation’s constitutional treasures.
With the Ministers are He Tohu principal Māori advisor, Hinerangi Himiona, and National Librarian, Bill Macnaught (right).
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For further information, please go to dia.govt.nz/Archive-Exhibition-Project
or contact hetohu@dia.govt.nz
