Waerenga-a-Hika 160 years
Pinepine te kura, hau te kura Whanake te kura i raro i Awarua Ko te kura nui, ko te kura roa Ko te kura nā Tūhaepō Tēnei te tira hou tēnei haramai nei Nā te rongopai, nā te rangimārie… Pinepine te kura, hau te kura Whanake te kura i raro i Awarua Ko te kura nui, ko te kura roa Ko te kura nā Tūhaepō Tēnei te tira hou tēnei haramai nei Nā te rongopai, nā te rangimārie…
2025 marked the 160th anniversary of the siege of Waerenga-a-Hika (18-22 November 1865). In 1865, a battle, over 5 days, was fought at Waerenga-a-Hika. It was part of the great colonial push for land, and it split apart the heart of Tūranganui-a-Kiwa and Te Tairāwhiti. Some chose to align themselves with the Crown and the Missionaries, while others stood firm to resist the colonial forces. During the battle, 200 colonial soldiers with 300 Māori allies attacked the pā site where hundreds of Māori families lived. Seventy-one Māori living at Waerenga-a-Hika pā and eleven government soldiers were killed. Many people were wounded, captured and exiled to the Chatham Islands.
When the battle ended, the land and the people were left brutally scarred. Pā and kāinga were destroyed, whare wānanga silenced, lives lost, and mistrust planted deep into our whakapapa. For generations, these divisions festered our community, shaping and misshaping how we saw one another.
Under a theme of Hohou te Rongo, the anniversary included a gathering of Te Tairāwhiti to acknowledge and reflect on times of past, and to also come together navigate a journey of healing. Hohou te Rongo expressed the cultivation of peace, so future generations may live with love, tranquillity and harmony, as Te Kooti Rikirangi affirmed in his waiata Pinepine te kura.
‘Kimihia e te iwi te ara o te tikanga i pai ai te noho i te ao nei’ You the people seek the path of righteousness that we may live peacefully in this world.
HIGHLIGHT
Waerenga-a-Hika Commemorative Blanket
Te Aitanga a Mahaki Chief Executive, Willie Te Aho with designers Tai and Rina Kerekere with the team at Eighth Generation in Seattle, USA who produced the blanket. Willie, Tai and Rina visited the HQ of Eighth Generation to connect, meet the team and learn more about the production and manufacturing process of the blanket.
To mark the occasion, a limited edition cotton thrown blanket was designed and produced in collaboration with artist Tai Kerekere and Indigenous lifestyle brand Eighth Generation.
Why did we choose a blanket? Blankets have shaped part of our history since European settlement, serving as currency and commodity of trade, exchange and control. Referencing colonial forces, trading of blankets and muskets for land and resource, blankets were also wrapped around our tipuna that survived the battle. As prisoners of war, blankets were their source of warmth and clothing.
This blanket however brings to surface a history we were never taught, a history of suppression, but now becomes a symbol of empowerment, identity and pride of place.
The horizontal and vertical lines symbolise the interweaving of our whakapapa and connection to the whenua. The tāniko design represent our tipuna who fought, died or were incarcerated as a result of this battle in 1865. The red symbolises those who died, and the grey references those who were taken, imprisoned without trial to Wharekauri, and forgotten.
The dark red and dark grey colours make reference to the scorched earth left behind as a result of the battle and bloodshed.
Please note that the paraikete / blankets are sold out. There will not be another order.
Why did we choose a blanket? Blankets have shaped part of our history since European settlement, serving as currency and commodity of trade, exchange and control. Referencing colonial forces, trading of blankets and muskets for land and resource, blankets were also wrapped around our tipuna that survived the battle. As prisoners of war, blankets were their source of warmth and clothing.
This blanket however brings to surface a history we were never taught, a history of suppression, but now becomes a symbol of empowerment, identity and pride of place.
The horizontal and vertical lines symbolise the interweaving of our whakapapa and connection to the whenua. The tāniko design represent our tipuna who fought, died or were incarcerated as a result of this battle in 1865. The red symbolises those who died, and the grey references those who were taken, imprisoned without trial to Wharekauri, and forgotten.
The dark red and dark grey colours make reference to the scorched earth left behind as a result of the battle and bloodshed.
Please note that the paraikete / blankets are sold out. There will not be another order.
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