A Māori kākahu (cloak) gifted to South Wairarapa District Council this week represents a powerful symbolic gesture from the original mana whenua (people of the land) of Martinborough, says Mayor Martin Connelly.
“This taonga (gift) humbles the council and it is an honour that we would be thought worthy of it,” said Mayor Connelly at the kākahu gifting ceremony on Saturday 19 October at the Waihinga Centre in Martinborough.
Photograph above: Kakahu gifting ceremony October 2024 left to right Tania MacGregor, Liz Karaitiana, Mayor Martin Connelly, Dani Dean and Maria Tanoa
The kākahu was a bequest to the council from the late Tiki-Rangimarie Mahupuku McGregor of Ngati Hikawera, prior to his passing on 22 June 2021. It was made with aroha by his whānau from Soulway Church in Masterton and the kākahu’s given name is Manaakitanga o Ngati Hikawera.
“The gifting of this kākahu, Manaakitanga o Ngati Hikawera, to the council of South Wairarapa was a moment of reflection, ka mua, ka muri – acknowledging the past to set direction for the future. At council, we are mindful that the key is manaakitanga and understanding our role in reciprocity,” says the council Pou Māori Advisor, Narida Hooper.
“Where we stand today is their whenua, the land they were displaced from over a century ago,” said Mayor Connelly. “The taonga of this kākahu, along with the loan of the name Waihinga, continues what Matua Rangi once referred to as the awakening of Ngati Hikawera.”
“This kākahu connects us to Ngati Hikawera and to the spiritual world through the whakapapa of the values, ancestral knowledge and practices that went into its creation. When anyone from this council wears this cloak, they will share in that knowledge. Thank you very much for what you have created. It is beautiful,” said Mayor Connelly.
The kakahu is a beautiful black and green with a white collar, likened to a tui or Matua Rangi’s beloved Martinborough Rugby Club. Manaakitanga o Ngati Hikawera is an expression of the hapu’s journey and marked by a lone thread coming from the cord, described by Maria Tanoa as ‘the hair on our chinny-chin-chin’; a metaphor for the challenges the hapu has faced, yet here they are, says Pou Māori Advisor Narida Hooper.
“The kākahu will be housed at the council and is intended to be worn for special ceremonies and official engagements, ki te whaiao, ki te aō marama. It is a symbol of manaakitanga and kotahitanga (reciprocity and unity) and acknowledges local hapu Ngati Hikawera.”
Mayor Connelly hoped that the symbol of the kākahu would forge a positive path forward for the council, the town of Martinborough and the Ngati Hikawera hapu.
“I hope this strengthens our relationship into a genuine partnership with Ngati Hikawera, as promised in Te Tiriti o Waitangi.”
Pictured below: Native floral display to highlight kai, which was served after the kākahu gifting ceremony on Saturday 19 October in Martinborough.
