The Cambridge Community Marae, Nga Hau E Wha, held a special ceremony last weekend to mark the arrival of a new carving.
Kaumatua Matua Ruble Rapana from Tauwhare blessing the carving, which encompasses north, south, east and west, symbolising the four winds the non-tribal Nga Hau E Wha marae is named after. Photo – Michael Jeans.
Carver Steve Tipene stands before his completed work at the unveiling held last Saturday. Photo – Michael Jeans.
Steve’s son-in-law Te Rangi Porter explaining the meaning of the Pare because tikanga dictates that the carver never boasts about it in public. Featured in the middle of the Pare is Te Puawaitanga – the Blossoming, with the carving marking the crossing between the new world into the old world of Tikanga Māori. Normally a tupuna (ancestor) will stand above the entrance, however since Nga Hau E Wha is not Iwi-based, Te Puawaitanga was chosen to symbolise the blossoming of togetherness. Photo – Michael Jeans.
