Description:

Ngā Ara Tipuna was initiated by mana whenua of the Waipukurau-Takapau rohe, who wished to make their authentic histories of this place visible on the land. The project was realised in partnership with Central Hawke’s Bay District Council. Over years of colonisation, much traditional knowledge has been endangered or lost. Through Ngā Ara Tipuna, mana whenua are recovering that knowledge and celebrating it, to inspire current and future generations.

The key objective was to provide a counterpoint to Eurocentric histories of Waipukurau-Takapau. Ngā Ara Tipuna interprets the network of pā and extensive wetlands that once covered this rohe, through digital media, signage, sculptural structures, whakairo, and other artwork. These invite visitors and locals to go back in time 400 years and view the landscape through a different lens.

Representatives from Rākautātahi Marae, Takapau, led the design and storytelling. They worked side by side with specialist staff from our design/visitor experience agency on all aspects of the project, from end to end. The hapū representatives enriched Ngā Ara Tipuna with their assorted skills: oral and written history, education, whakairo, tree-felling, palisade construction, eeling, mau rākau and waiata performance.

Pukekaihau Pā (now Hunter Memorial Park) thrived from the 1600s until the 1830s. Below the hilltop pā and near the site of Te Tauranga, once a landing place for arriving waka, we installed a whare kōrero. Intricately steelcut with whakairo by local carvers, this structure welcomes visitors. Inside, two large scale illustrated recreations show what Pukekaihau Pā and the wider rohe might have looked like during the times of the tīpuna – when this was a more watery landscape. Up the hill we positioned palisades made from local kānuka, to evoke the pā tuwatawata (fortified pā) that once stood at the summit.

Two lookouts on the hillside interpret the landscapes they overlook and how these have changed since the tīpuna lived here, through illustrated panels. They provide insights on the pā sites, mahinga kai, waterways and forests that once covered this area. At the tihi is a large, contemporary pou, co-designed with local artists and the agency. It represents peace and is named Te Hohou I Te Rongo.

Oral history pou at Pukekaihau Pā and seven other sites of natural or cultural significance across the rohe mark these as places of importance. The pou feature interpretive text, whakataukī and whakairo. They invite visitors to learn more about these places by using the bilingual mobile phone tour, which contains a series of video stories from mana whenua. The footage was filmed on the landscape and at Rākautātahi Marae – allowing speakers to share their stories in places that are meaningful and comfortable to them.

Complementary to the compact mobile phone tour, which is designed to be used while standing on the land, is an audiovisually rich website: to be explored from home or the classroom. The website features video-based timelines of the history of the rohe and its vibrant present. Interactives of Pukekaihau Pā and the wider Waipukurau-Takapau rohe allow users to engage with aspects of daily life on the pā circa 1600 and to zoom in on pā and mahinga kai across the rohe.