Giant waka put out to grass after brief splash of glory

One of the most ambitious waka projects ever undertaken has been sitting in a paddock near the tiny East Coast settlement of Tikitiki since 1990, much to the disappointment of a master carver who spent a decade creating it. Picture / Alan Gibson

For the past five years a mighty war canoe has sat in a paddock at the mercy of the elements.

Te Aio o Nukutaimemeha, about half the length of a rugby field long, was named after Maui's waka.

Completed in 1998 after a decade of work by canoe-maker and carver Matahi Whakataka-Brightwell, it was the inspiration for the waka in the film Whale Rider.

Since 2000, the waka has sat on a steel trailer near the Waiapu River mouth on the East Cape. The stern post lies broken on the ground.

Now the creator is criticising its condition and asking Ngati Porou to give the canoe back so he can restore it.

But the iwi says it is working to preserve the waka, which it commissioned for the 1990 sesqui celebrations.

Mr Whakataka-Brightwell, who built and sailed the Hawaiikinui canoe from Tahiti to New Zealand using traditional navigation in 1985, began work on the waka in 1988 but did not finish until 10 years later.

He said he was stalled by lack of funds. Ngati Porou said he failed to keep deadlines.

The iwi this week put the cost of the waka at about $500,000, some of which came from taxpayer grants.

Mr Whakataka-Brightwell said he received $40,000 from Ngati Porou near its completion. "That's the only money I received proper."

The waka was built at Whangara, where Whale Rider was filmed. It has never been launched.

Mr Whakataka-Brightwell, who is in Tahiti building a 28m double-hull canoe to sail to Chile, last saw the waka in 2003.

He said lashings had broken and the wood was cracking. He was concerned the weight of rain water in the hull might destroy it. 

"It's like I created a child and they threw my child into the paddock to die," he said.

He begged Ngati Porou to give him ownership of the canoe so he could restore and protect it, but the iwi refused.

He said he is beyond blaming anyone for the waka's condition. "The issue is to save the canoe from any more degradation."

Ngati Porou chief executive Amohaere Houkamau said the waka was the iwi's concern.

"It's a Ngati Porou asset and therefore it's Ngati Porou's business what we do with the waka."

In 2002, Ms Houkamau said the iwi was considering building a shelter for the waka.

She said it had not done so yet because Ngati Porou had to prioritise its resources.

Ms Houkamau said an expert had examined the waka in 2002 and a maintenance programme had since been undertaken. Remedial work had been carried out to repair any damage.

The iwi had now decided to move the waka to a site near a school where a shelter could be built and it could become a tourist attraction.

It was not known when that would happen.

Ms Houkamau said the iwi would not give the waka back to Mr Whakataka-Brightwell. "He can't afford to take care of it."

Auckland Museum director Rodney Wilson said any neglect of the waka was a huge shame.

Dr Wilson said Ngati Porou should put aside its differences with Mr Whakataka-Brightwell, who he described as "a brilliant artist and craftsman", for the waka's sake.

"It would be nice if Matahi could have the opportunity to fix it up so they could have a canoe in pristine condition that was worthy of them as a very powerful iwi."

Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey, an avid waka paddler and chairman of a committee that brought waka to Auckland for the 1990 Commonwealth Games, said the Ngati Porou waka was one of the most ambitious waka projects ever undertaken.

He described Mr Whakataka-Brightwell as "the Peter Jackson of waka".

The waka

Length: 45m.
Weight: 22 tonnes.
Number of paddlers: 122.
Owners: Ngati Porou.