Taonga by Pine Taiapa gifted to Tairāwhiti Museum for preservation and heritage

Julia Hardie (from left), Ralph Walker, Maia Keane, Henare Huriwai, Don Morrison and Tairawhiti Museum director Tapunga Nepe with the kōruru.

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A taonga made in 1965 by renowned whakairo (carving) artist Pine Taiapa has been gifted to Tairāwhiti Museum.

The piece was made during the Māori crafts course held in Tikitiki in May 1965 by Taiapa as an example of the form appropriate for the kōruru (carved face on the gable of a meeting house, a wharenui) for the Ōrākei wharenui.

Taiapa was the tutor of the course and after completing it, he gave the kōruru to course director Stewart Morrison at Auckland University.

Stewart Morrison’s son, Don Morrison, inherited the carving after his father died. He spoke with researchers, including Ngarino Ellis and Nerida Johnstone, who suggested he reach out to Tairāwhiti Museum and gift it so it could be part of a collection of Taiapa work.

“As far as I recall, it was left with the right eye unfinished to signify that it was not to be used on the actual wharenui at Ōrākei,” Don Morrison said.

Ralph Walker’s grandfather was Te Rauhuia, Taiapa’s brother. Walker, a patron of the arts and a local kaumātua, felt it was right to be a part of this.

The koruru carved in May 1965 at a course run by Pine Taiapa in Tikitiki.

Tairāwhiti Museum director Tapunga Nepe said a primary requirement in the museum’s acquisition policy is that taonga must have relevance to Tairāwhiti, specifically by reflecting the heritage, stories and art of the region and its people.

“We also felt it was important to inform the whānau and relatives of Pine Taiapa, who live locally, so they could be present when Don and his partner arrived with the taonga.

“This led to the significant presence of Pāpā Rau [Ralph Walker] and another whanaunga [relative], alongside Tairāwhiti Museum staff,” Nepe said.

There was an intimate whakatau (welcoming) when the taonga was gifted, which included karakia (prayers), mihimihi (tributes), waiata (song), the sharing of kōrero (stories) and the viewing of old footage taken in May 1965 in Tikitiki.

“This is truly a significant taonga, carved by the master carver Pine Taiapa. What makes it even more remarkable is the additional video recording and photographs that further reflect the kōruru’s story, provenance, and history,” he said.

Māori master carver Pine Taiapa of Tikitiki, lecturing on the art of Māori carving to a party from Auckland, on June 15, 1965. Photo / Bill Beattie

“In the video, you also see the Tairāwhiti Museum’s first director, Leo Fowler.

“Having Pāpā Rau present to share his whakapapa, knowledge, and wisdom made the event especially meaningful.”

Taiapa was born in Tikitiki on June 6, 1901.

He was one of the first students of the School of Māori Arts established in Rotorua in 1927.

He worked on many wharenui across the motu (country), even when he stopped carving fulltime and went back to sheep farming in Tikitiki, he would still go do work on whare.

He also completed Te Whitireia at Whāngārā in 1939 and regarded it as the best work he had done.

He would take every opportunity to teach local communities the skills.

Taiapa is regarded as one of the most prolific and greatest carvers of Aotearoa.

He would teach others about carving and tukutuku work in Tikitiki, Hicks Bay, Tauranga and Victoria University of Wellington.

Taiapa published books and articles explaining the carvings at the different wharenui.

He died in Tikitiki on February 9, 1972, aged 70.

Matai O’Connor, Ngāti Porou, has been a journalist for five years and Kaupapa Māori reporter at the Gisborne Herald for two years.