Hon Kelvin Davis

Minister for Māori Crown Relations:

Te Arawhiti

PĀNUI PĀPĀHO

MEDIA STATEMENT

27 September 2019

Whangaparāoa iwi commemorate arrival of waka tīpuna for Tuia 250

Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti Minister Kelvin Davis will be part of the welcome of the Tuia 250 waka flotilla on Saturday at Haika o Tainui beach.

The welcome is part of Tuia ki Whangaparāoa, a programme of events celebrating 1000 years of voyaging heritage and where iwi will share the stories of first encounters with Pākehā.

“In the lead up to Tuia 250, it’s been a priority for our Government to ensure that Māori perspectives have rightful prominence, and that the communities, iwi and hapū at each landing site have the opportunity to share their unique history on a national stage,” Kelvin Davis said.

“Whangaparāoa Mai Tawhiti is known to many as ‘Cape Runaway’, a place where a fleet of waka resisted the arrival of James Cook. What many people may not know is that it is a site of Pacific voyaging heritage where ancestral waka landed some 800 years before the Endeavour sailed in.

“I am looking forward to seeing the double-hulled canoes sail in for this important event – waka hourua Haunui, Ngahiraka Mai Tawhiti and Tahitian va’a tipaerua Fa’afaite – the latter which recently sailed by celestial navigation to Aotearoa just as our ancestors did.

“Tuia 250 means having honest conversations about our history and I encourage all our communities to get involved, to grow their respect for their own history and the history of others.

“I also want to acknowledge all the planning and effort put in by communities in Whangaparāoa and all around the country to host activities planned for Tuia 250,” Kelvin Davis said.

Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage is leading the Tuia 250 Voyage event around New Zealand in October to December this year, with voyaging partners who make up the six-vessel flotilla and will come together in Tūranga/ Gisborne.

More information is available here: www.tuia250.nz

Event details

Te Whānau a Apanui will host Tuia ki Whangaparāoa, with a whakatau on the Haika o Tainui beach site at 10am, Saturday 28 September for Kingi Tuheitia, followed by the waka flotilla at around 11am.

The waka will sail to Tūranga/ Gisborne for a dawn pohiri on 5 October. The Tuia 250 Flotilla will officially come together when the tall ships arrive in Tūranga/ Gisborne on 8 October.

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