Explore the Legacy: The Meaning behind the Design

I roto i teneki tohu, e kitea nei ngaa Manaia e rua ki ngaa tahataha. Ko Hani-a-te-waewae-i-

kimi-atu kei teetehi taha ko Puna-whakatipu-tangata kei teera atu taha. Ko ngaa toka e rua e

tohu ana i te takotoranga o te waka o Tainui. I roto i te tohu e anga whakawaho ana ngaa

Manaia, hei momo Kaitiaki o te kaupapa. Ko te taha maui e tohu ana i ngaa mahi kua tutuki,

araa, nga mahi kei muri i a taatou. Ko te Manaia kei te taha matau e tohu ana ki ngaa raa,

ngaa kaupapa kei mua i taatou.

Ko eetehi atu hoahoa ko te Mangopare; koinei ngaa koorero e whai paanga,

“Kia mate ururoa, kei mate wheke.”

Ko te puuhoro hoki teera e kite ana, te puuhoro e kaha kite ana i te tauihu o ngaa waka he

hononga teneki ki ngaa uri maha o te Hauaauru. He kaupapa ta teneki hei tohu ia taatou ngaa

Kaitiaki o te waka o Tainui. Te whakamutunga ko te Kaperua, e tohu ana teneki i ngaa maara

kai i whakatoo ngaa iwi kainga o te Hauauru hei haapai i ngaa kaupapa o te Kiingitanga peera

ki te hui Koroneihana i ngaa tau ki muri.

In this design I have used two Manaia on both wings. These manaia Hani-a-te-waewae-i-

kimi-atu and Puna-whakatipu-tangata, acknowledge the two rocks marking the final resting

place of our waka Tainui. The two Manaia who face outwards; the left represents the past

accomplishments and the right side guides us during future endeavours. The centre of the

design you’ll see the Mangopare pattern I have used to reference the whakatauki,

“Kia mate ururoa, kei mate wheke.”

Meaning: Whatever you do, do it with the tenacity of the hammerhead shark, don’t give up

easily like an octopus.

Lastly, the pattern seen though this design is the Kaperua, this is used to represent food crops

that were planted and harvested by the locals of the West Coast and gifted to Kiingitanga

gatherings such as the Coronation.

Design and meaning by Te Naiti Tihema.