Our namesake now sits proudly at our entrance!

Did you know, the Mōkihi that sits and greets our pononga everyday was actually made by our pononga from Te Puna Waimarie with the help of Matua Jodi and Matua Joe Wakefield on our marae, Rāpaki. This was during a noho marae that Puna Waimarie had out at Rāpaki to celebrate Te Ao Māori, mahinga kai and whakawhanaungatanga in 2020. It can last that long!

Mōkihi were traditionally used by Māori as part of their Mahinga Kai. They were used on awa and inlets as a form of transport of not only people, but also kai and taonga. The beauty of this was, Raupō can be harvested and tied together with Kōrari, using Harakeke, and then could be used as soon as it was constructed. After the journey, it could either be used again or simply break down back into Papatūānuku.

Today, this tradition is kept alive through the very few practitioners left. When they teach about this tradition, they teach not only the mātauranga that surrounds this, using Te Taiao and skills like cutting and tying knots but also the whakawhanaungatanga that binds us together in the learnings. Our Mōkihi, as we use it here at Te Pā is like a vessel, a vessel that spreads information to whānau and keeps us informed and united.