He kitenga kanohi, he hokinga mahara, he kōanga ngākau, he tānga manawa.
This week for He Tānga Manawa, we're throwing it back to 1994.
If you've even been through Auckland Airport's International Terminal, you would have most likely walked through this tomokanga.
Approximately 200 million passengers have walked through this tomokanga within its 29 years of existence, but how many of those millions of passengers know the meaning of this whakairo?
This significant piece was gifted to Auckand Airport by the late Māori Queen Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu and Waikato-Tainui in 1994, representing local mana whenua and all iwi of Aotearoa.
Central to the carving is Papaka, the tūpuna of local hapū around the Manukau Harbour, and just behind Papaka is Kaiwhare, the taniwha that guards the harbour. Beside Kaiwhare on the overhead panel are two figures representing Te Ika-ā-Māui and Te Waipounamu.
To the sides of the tomokanga are two amo. The right amo reflects on Pare Hauraki and the characteristics of the region, the left being Pare Waikato and its characteristics but also reflecting the past and the future.
He tohu maumahara ki a Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu rāua ko Maurice Wilson.
He Tānga Manawa is a rebooted weekly online series from Te Karere that delves into the rich history of Māori news dating back 40 years.
Glossary
whakairo – Māori carving
tomokanga – entrance, gateway
tipuna – ancestor
Hapū – subtribe
taniwha – guardian
Te Ika a Māui – North Island
Te Waipounamu – South Island
amo – sides, shoulders
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