Koki Ake Te Oro Turn Up The Volume

Embark on a visionary journey, one that propels you beyond the horizon of time, inviting you to reimagine Te Aro Pā as a realm far removed from its present state. This immersive experience, titled “Koki Ake Te Oro”, is a long-form poem that transcends traditional literary boundaries, taking on the guise of a guided walking tour through the lens of descendants of Ngāti Haumia, one of the enduring hapū of Te Aro Pā. In 2023, “Koki Ake Te Oro” was conceived as a self-directed exploration during The Performance Arcade, offering a glimpse into the landscape of Te Aro Pā in one hundred years time. In 2024, the aspiration is to elevate this initial creation into a live performance piece in te reo Māori, with an English translation provided.

As you embark on this immersive journey, you will encounter your tour guides, the storytellers of a future unseen. Together, you’ll traverse the picturesque Te Aro Pā waterfront, but this is no ordinary stroll; it is a journey into the realm of possibilities, one where familiar landmarks of 2024 coexist with yet-to-be-realised vistas. “Koki Ake Te Oro” invites Māori and Tauiwi to embrace the realm of potentiality, urging us to envision a bolder and more profound expression of tino rangatiratanga.

The poem unfurls its narrative, intertwining the stories of Te Aro Pā and the tūpuna of the Bolton St Cemetery with the heartfelt yearning for connection by the descendants of Taranaki who have found their home in Te Upoko-o-te-Ika. It expounds upon the power of tino rangatiratanga, asserting its role as a catalyst for addressing the pressing climate crisis. Moreover it emphasises the transformative capacity of hīkoi, or intentional journeys. In this case, the act of guided exploration becomes a conduit for expanding minds and reimagining the very fabric of our shared future.

Each facet of “Koki Ake Te Oro” is deeply intertwined with the core principle of unearthing and disseminating the narratives of Ngāti Haumia and Te Aro Pā which have been at times almost obliterated by the establishment of Wellington City. It is our shared duty to ensure that the stories of Te Aro Pā endure and resonate with those who tread upon these grounds today. We are here to affirm that we, the descendants, are an indomitable presence, firmly rooted in the legacy of this land and her waters.

The text of the poem that unveiled this vision in 2023 will form the foundation for the live performance, with modifications to accommodate the nuances of a guided tour. “Koki Ake Te Oro” transcends poetry; it is an invitation to traverse time, culture and history, to bridge the past and future.

Koki Ake Te Oro 2023

To listen to this tour in English, please collect an earpiece. Turn the volume up. Thank you for joining this walking tour of what was previously known as ‘Wellington’s Waterfront’. The New Zealand Company imposed the name ‘Wellington’ on this land, as a tribute to the Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley. In 2023, Māori and non-Māori decided we would no longer allow this land to be associated with the name of a war criminal who slaughtered thousands of Indian people and pillaged their taonga. The name ‘Wellington’ was removed from all official documents, maps and signage, along with the names of his colonial contemporaries, including ‘founding father’ William Wakefield, who went to jail, with his brother Edward, for kidnapping a young woman and forcing her to marry Edward.

We will not be jumping aside for vehicles on our tour. The Local Iwi Government – Taranaki Whānui – placed a ban on vehicles on the waterfront that came into force in 2037. The ban has significantly improved air quality, which has had a positive impact on the environment and the people living here. Local Iwi Governments throughout the country have followed our example and have now implemented this ban. Electric public transport runs every ten minutes along the waterfront, day and night. Those who require special assistance, such as our old people and those with young children, are given priority on transport, and do not pay to use it.

You will see divers emerging from the harbour with what I hope includes a haul of kina. Since Taranaki Whānui have regained control of our area’s waterways and harbour, the water quality has improved to the extent that species unseen for generations have now returned.

The language you can hear our divers using is, of course, Te Reo o Taranaki, the local dialect that has been heard around the harbour since our ancestors migrated here from Taranaki. The most recent census showed that 75% of descendants of Taranaki who are living in Te Upoko-o-Te-Ika-a-Māui speak Te Reo o Taranaki as their first language. However, in my case, although I grew up in Te Reo, my dialect is Tainui – the side of my grandfather. I am from Taranaki on my grandmother’s side.

Te Whare o Ngā Tūpuna o Te Whanganui-a-Tara: The gold, round building is Te Whare o Ngā Tūpuna o Te Whanganui-a-Tara. This building was constructed in 2025 to share the stories and portraits of Taranaki Whānui ancestors with their descendants, so they might  know their history and their migration stories. It operates a research programme connecting Taranaki Whānui in Te Upoko-o-Te-Ika-a-Māui to the Taranaki land where their ancestors came from.

Kotahitanga Bank of Aotearoa: The green high-rise is the Kotahitanga Bank of Aotearoa. This bank is a venture of the Iwi Chairs Forum and was established in 2045 to support Māori economic development. The bank was set up with a grant from the New Zealand Government as part of its commitment to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Kotahitanga Bank has around 500 branches throughout Aotearoa, and, no, you don't have to be Māori to be a customer.

Te Kura-ā-Iwi o Taranaki Whānui: The large grass field, play area and wooden buildings are Te Kura-ā-Iwi o Taranaki Whānui. This kura was established for the children of Taranaki Whānui. The school’s charter focuses on Taranaki reo and tikanga. The children attending this kura live with their families in one of our three papakāinga – Te Aro, Pipitea and Kumutoto.

Te Aro Papakāinga: Taranaki Street is the residential part of Te Aro Papakāinga. Previously the entertainment district of the central city, there are around 200 whānau now residing in the papakāinga, with Māori organic food gardens that have been re-established on the slopes of Pukeahu. These gardens provide food for the papakāinga, with the surplus sold at organic markets throughout the country. The papakāinga covers about two hectares and is fully self-sufficient in food, water and electricity production. It includes Māori Design and Arts buildings, a Māori University and a Performing Arts Centre. A reminder that there is no public access to Te Aro Papakāinga.

Te Raukura, Te Wharewaka and Whairepo Lagoon: Te Raukura has for generations been a premium conference centre. The complex includes the multi award-winning Karaka Cafe and the Wharewaka. The Wharewaka houses waka frequently used on our harbour and in Whairepo Lagoon. It has recently been extended to accommodate the waka hourua built by Taranaki Whānui. To your left you will see a flotilla of waka hourua in the harbour, which have sailed here from throughout the Pacific Ocean to support and celebrate the launch of the new waka hourua.

National Māori Library of Aotearoa, Hīkoi Books and J.C. Sturm Mural: Looking across Whairepo Lagoon is the bridge that leads to Te Ngākau Precinct. This precinct includes the National Māori Library of Aotearoa, which houses the stories of Māori writers in Te Reo Māori and in English. The National Māori Library complex includes Hīkoi Books, a branch of the first Māori-owned bookshop, which celebrates its hundred-year centenary this year, and a mural series that celebrates the storytelling of Taranaki writer J.C. Sturm.

Te Papa Tongarewa: There are three large boulders in front of Te Papa Tongarewa. These boulders represent Papatūānuku, Tangata Whenua, and Tangata Tiriti. This year a new permanent exhibition opened, explaining that the land on which Te Papa Tongarewa sits is Te Aro Pā, and sharing the history of the Pā.

Taranaki Wharf: Between 1968 and 1971, the remains of 3,700 Māori and Pākehā ancestors were exhumed from a section of the Bolton Street Cemetery, to make way for the Wellington Urban Motorway. Yes. This really happened. The remains of these ancestors were placed into a mass grave in another section of the cemetery. The tons of soil and rocks in which they had laid were then trucked down to the harbour, to use as infill to create Taranaki Wharf. This despicable act was corrected in 2078 when the soil and rocks were returned to Bolton Street Cemetery. This was due to the lobbying of the descendants of those ancestors and the Friends of Bolton Street Cemetery.

Te Aro Marae: We’ve arrived at the final stop on our tour. Te Aro Marae was opened in 2069. The motivation for constructing this marae came from the pōwhiri for Matatini Kapa Haka that took place on Waitangi Park in 2019. At that time, those who attended the pōwhiri, including the media, did not seem to know that they were at Te Aro Pā, and that the people who belonged to Te Aro Pā were Ngāti Haumia and Ngāti Tūpaia. These hapū spent the subsequent five decades hosting discussions, raising funding and creating artworks, to prepare to fulfil the responsibilities that come with a marae. Te Aro Marae is very active, hosting many events, including celebrations and funerals.

We have now come to the end of this walking tour. You have heard stories about this land and harbour, from the time that our ancestors arrived from Taranaki, through to today. Now you also know who we are – the people of Te Aro Pā – and how we have worked together with Tauiwi to achieve our aspirations. These earpieces are a gift for you to take away. Turn the volume up, so you can clearly hear the stories of the past, the present and the future.