Kia ora koutou, we have had an exciting month on the pā and we’ve hosted some amazing hui, including Portobello School, Te Muaupoko (the Peninsula schools’ Māori extension programme), and the New Zealand Historical Association’s biennial conference dinner. This was especially exciting, as Atholl Anderson gave the Wiremu Maihi Te Rangikaheke keynote speech on Exploring patterns of long-range migration in Māori tradition. This was a great opportunity for some whānau members to catch up with Atholl and reminisce on the Aramoana smelter protests of the early 1980s, the Waitangi Tribunal hearings at Ōtākou in 1987, and the carving of the poutokomanawa Pukekura in 1990.

Hākuiao

The final plastering of Hākuiao is underway. After waiting for the weather to warm up, the plasterer is onsite at the marae, plastering Moeraki pebbles onto the exterior of the new buildings, and she is looking tino ātaahua.