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POU
KAPUA UNVEILS IN MANUKAU |
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By Ruci Farrell |
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It stands 70 feet tall
piercing the cloudless sky above Tamaki Makaurau at the TelstraClear
Pacific Events Centre in Manukau City and is a powerful symbol or
Taonga to the people of New Zealand if not the world.
There are many stories of creation relating the different migratory
journeys of our Pacific ancestors that are intricately carved into the
tall and stately Pou Kapua which now stands proudly in the heart of
Manukau.
More than 500 rose before dawn on Saturday April 2, 2005, to be part of
the early morning Pauwaitanga or blessing of the Pou Kapua, the tallest
Maori carving in the world.
Among the many guests was the Maori Queen Dame Te Atairangi Kahu and
tribal leaders from the various Maori communities in the north island.
As Manukau City has the highest population of Maori and Pacific peoples
in Aotearoa, we feel that it provides an appropriate place to stand.
Furthermore, as a gift to the people of Aotearoa, it must be accessible
to all peoples at all times, which is possible at this site.
Two carvers from Rapanui, Luis Hey and Tomas Tukitepano carved two moai
from hinuera stone. Hawaiian carver Kawika Eskaran from Hawaii etched
the Hawaiian story of creation into the swamp kauri base.
Those who worked on the Pou Kapua included four master carvers, team
carvers and three weavers who worked on special pieces for the
unveiling.
Other Pacific and Indigenous carvers that contributed to creation of
Pou Kapua include Inuit carver Frank Wolfhead from Glacier Bay, Alaska,
and Professor Anthony Dieter from the Cree Nation Saskatchewan, Canada.
Also among the carvers were two Aboriginal carvers from Australia,
Sydney Wilson and Tim Ives who carved dreamtime figures throughout Pou
Kapua. Cook Island carver Tevita also spent hundreds of hours on the
Pou.
The $48 million Telstra Pacific Events Centre has taken more than four
years to plan and just over two years to construct.
Rosemary McLeod, Chief Executive of TelstraClear, was at the centre on
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Pou Kapua is the tallest Maori totem in the southern hemisphere,
which was gifted to the Telstra Pacific Events Centre at Manukau
and to the people of New Zealand from the people of Tokoroa and
carvers from various parts of the world.
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Manukau Mayor Sir Barry Curtis welcomes official guests to the
dawn ceremonies to unveil the Pou Kapua. Among the many tribe
leaders and senior officials was the Maori Queen Dame Te
Atairangi Kahu.
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Nine
year old Portia Pendergrass sits at the base of the Pou Kapua,
which has been carved out a a 2000 year old kauri tree, a
magnificent ancient Kauri from the forests of the Iwi of Te
Rarawa. |
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morning to help open the first stage
of the Events Centre - the Genesis Theatre.
She spoke of the commitment that Telstra has pledged to support the development
of arts and youth programme in the fastest growing city in New Zealand.
The Genesis Theatre which opened officially with a special NZ Philharmonia
Concert was attended by the Prime Minister Helen Clark.
The Telstra Pacific Events Centre will have the Sir Woolf Fisher Arena which
will seat 2500 to 3000, the Genesis Theatre which seats 700, seven function
rooms and a series of artwork and sculptures and murals to represent the
cosmopolitan nature of the populations of Manukau.
Already bookings are filling up for the centre with a major home and garden show
this year to utilize the facilities of the new Manukau venue.
Nine-year-old Portia Pendergrass sat at the swamp kauri base of the tall Pou
Kapua and gazed up at the tall statuesque figure that appears to be taller than
the Fear Fall at Rainbow's End nearby.
In her young mind, there is definitely something significant about the Pou Kapua.
She knows there are many fascinating stories and cultures intertwined with the
lizards, the snakes and the sea creatures that are carved into the totem.
Hopefully over time she will have gained the knowledge to pass on the stories to
her own grandchildren about the tall and proud Pou Kapua where carvers from all
over the world have come to etch their stories of old.
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Copyright Event Polynesia Ltd.
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