February 01, 2022
Waharoa opens door to past at Kororareka
While most Te Tiriti o Waitangi commemorations in the Bay of Islands have been cancelled or moved online, across the harbour at Russell the Kororāreka Marae Komiti intends to unveil two major new public sculptures welcoming visitors to the historic township.
A carved 4.5 metre waharoa will sit on the shore at the entrance to Russell Wharf, and a carving of a warrior wielding a taiaha will stand on a column fixed to the seabed off the front of the wharf.
Marae chair Deb Rewiri says the covers will come off at 4.30 am on Saturday, February 5.
She says they will finally restore a Māori presence to an area where the visible presence of the tangata whenua was overlaid and pretty much extinguished by the colonialist narrative.
The whakairo contains both Māori and Pākehā carved symbols, referencing the peoples who lived and whose descendants still live here as well as the sailors, whalers and traders who came later and made Kororāreka their home.
Kaiwhakairo Tony Makiha of Mystix Studios says the sculptures will welcome people to the town in a culturally appropriate manner but also say this is our whenua, please respect it.