Uewhati now stands at Te Mahurehure Marae
Auckland-based descendents of Hokianga iwi, Te Mahurehure, now have their ancestor, Uewhati, depicted in a Pou (Column).
The Pou was commissioned by Te Mahurehure Cultural Marae Conference Centre standing 2.8 meters within the Point Chevalier complex. Head Carver, Te Taonui-a-Kupe Rickard describes illustrating Uewhati very interesting, especially when identifying the links between various tipuna.Te Mahurehure Chair Christine Panapa says a chance meeting with Mr Rickard while in Rotorua for other matters was the beginning of the process “there was a real connection, a wonderful connection. I had all the building plans in my car so I had a hui with him and his staff [Te Wānanga Whakairo Rakau, Te Puia] and talked about what we would like and went back and did the homework.”
The Marae was established in the 60’s for those of Te Mahurehure who had settled in Auckland.
Since taking over in 1999, Ms Panapa says the decade-long project has cost around $1.7 million dollars topped off with the Pou of Uewhati “We were so blown away when we saw it, it wasn’t what we had expected. It was stunning”.
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