Introducing Te Here-ā-nuku | Tuia kia Kotahi

This week we introduce Te Here-ā-nuku | Tuia kia Kotahi, an identity to unify our kaupapa and purpose around Making the Tenths’ Whole.

 

Here-ā-nuku speaks to the notion of reconnecting ourselves to the land. This connection was severed when the Crown’s legal promise to protect the Nelson Tenths Reserves and our papakāinga, urupā and cultivations for the benefit of our people, the Māori customary owners of the land, was not upheld.

‘Here‘ is used to inspire us to be ‘bound’ together with common purpose, while ‘nuku‘ is a customary term shortened to symbolise Papatūānuku – mother earth. Simply put, the name is a call to action for us to reconnect with one another, as whānau, inextricably connected to our whenua, our whakapapa and identity as the mana whenua of Te Tauihu.

 

 The logo is inspired by Whakatū artist Lane Hawkins’s artwork Te Kaitiaki o te Wairua i roto – the guardian of the spirit within.

 

This artwork, currently on display in Whakatū, Nelson, depicts the coming together of those tūpuna and their descendants who whakapapa across the iwi of Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Rārua, Te Ātiawa and Ngāti Koata – that is those whānau and hapū who comprise the customary owners of the Nelson Tenths’ reserves and papakāinga lands in Nelson, Tasman and Golden Bay.

It highlights our journey as ngā uri o ngā hekenga, the settlement of the Nelson rohe and our growth and development in this region.

 

The artwork uses two traditional weaving patterns, Pātikitiki (represented as a diamond form) and Kaokao (represented as a parallel chevron).

 

The Pātikitiki pattern symbolises a good environment, an abundance of food, well-fed families, prosperity and whānau wellbeing, while the Kaokao pattern represents the work ethic, courage and physical and intellectual endeavours of ngā uri o ngā hekenga, needed to prevail and succeed, not only in relation to Ngā Hekenga, but also in relation to the Making the Tenths’ Whole kaupapa.

 

We will use this identity to bring together the different elements of our work in the lead up to the High Court case in Wellington from 14 August this year, and beyond.

Resolving the Nelson Tenths: A call to Minister Parker

Opinion: In a move that raises questions about its priorities, the government has chosen to allocate $5million of taxpayer money in the Budget to engage in a protracted legal battle against the customary landowners of the Nelson Tenths Reserves.

It’s a decision that lacks economic prudence and, following the Supreme Court ruling in favour of the customary owners in 2017, illustrates another failed opportunity to resolve matters directly.

Instead of throwing good money after bad, the government should reconsider its approach and focus on pursuing a principled and pragmatic solution that serves the best interests of all parties involved.

 

The case relates to the Nelson Tenths Reserves and cultural lands in the Nelson region, and the Crown’s fiduciary duties concerning this land. For many years, the customary Māori owners, led by kaumātua Rore Stafford, have fought for the Crown to restore the lands to the whānau and hapū who descend from the original owners of the Reserves, who were identified by the Native Land Court in 1893.

This is not a Treaty case, and this is important. It is a case about trust law and the Crown’s legal obligations as the trustee to act in the best interests of the Tenths’ owners, which it failed to do.

 

In 2017, the Supreme Court, our highest court, ruled in favour of the customary landowners. It decided that the Crown has a legal duty to reserve the Nelson Tenths land for their benefit as well as protect their cultural lands, including papakāinga, across the region.

 

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