EIT whare gets a makeover: Te toi huarewa Te Ara o Tāwhaki
Te Ara o Tāwhaki is the meeting house (wharenui) at EIT – Te Aho a Māui.
The institute is proud to reveal it is entering this decade with the whare (house) fully dressed in whakairo (carved panels), kōwhaiwhai (painted panels) and tukutuku (woven panels).
The whakairo were led by Te Rangi Robin from Kohupātiki marae, who extended the invitation to Emmanuel Dunn and Charles Paringatai to assist him in the carving of the pou that now adorn the meeting house – Te Ara o Tāwhaki.
Left to right: Hawira Hape, Tiwana Aranui, Hoani Hawaikirangi, Jeremy MacLeod, Matiu Eru, Ronald Dennis, Chris Malcolm, Chris Collins, Trevor Tahau, Cody Hollis (head lol), Te Rangi Robin, Mana Hazel, Tukahia Keepa and Charles Paringatai.
Cody Hollis from Ngāti Pahauwera helped with creating the kōwhaiwhai panels that embellish the whakairo in the wharenui with the support of the Awa Ink Studio artists and their families.
Back row (left to right): Tāmanuhiri Russell, Josh Hūrae, Cody Hollis, Charles Paringatai, Kauri Te Atua. Font row (left to right): Jordyn Mareikura-Russell and Kaya Mareikura-Russell.
Furthermore, Raewyn Paterson, of Ngāi Tūhoe descent who has lived in Ngāti Kahungunu for 20 years, coordinated the tukutuku workshops which ran over a period of 8 weeks, that incorporated the input of past and present students, staff and whānau to complete the contemporary laser cut tukutuku panels that also enrich the layout of the wharenui.
Left to right: Di Ennor, Diane Wilkie, Lee Olsen, Raewyn Patterson, Aniwairua Komarkowski-Chapman, Pareputiputi Nuku and Linda Bruce.
This has been a three-year process, a 20-year vision and a 30-year legacy finally fulfilled by the local people of Ngāti Kahungunu for all peoples who wish to take on a learning experience at EIT with the support to succeed.
