Mangapiko Stream to receive nine carved pillars linking Maungatautari with Pirongia

Nine pou will find a home along the Mangapiko Stream from Maungatautari to Pirongia.

The Mangapiko Stream, between Maungatautari and Pirongia, will soon be flanked by nine carved pou.

In Māori culture, a pou is a carved wooden post or pillar that serves as a symbol of strength and support.

The pou are part of the Taiea te Taiao project, a five-year initiative that aims to link Maungatautari to Pirongia through an ecological corridor between the waterways.

Eight of the pou will be located on private property, but Waipā District Council’s Strategic Planning and Policy Committee approved one of the pou to be installed in Te Awamutu as part of the council’s art policy.

Te Awamutu’s pou will be made of steel and placed on Mutu St, across the road from War Memorial Park.

Te Kanohi representative Bill Harris said the pou will identify Kaipaka Pā and represent the peace wāhine have brought to the Waipā district and the importance of trade at the Mangapiko and Mangaohoi stream.

Concept design for Kaipaka Pā Pou on Mutu St, Te Awamutu.

“It is a magnificent piece of artwork done by a very skilled Māori carver, in a form that will last us a very long time,” said Harris.

A mana whenua group made up of Waipā hapū, including Ngāti Apakura, is supportive of the pou.

“In terms of a piece of artwork, it supports the cultural mitigation criteria that we needed to connect us to Koroki Kahukura in terms of the new Te Awamutu town water supply.”

The nine pou acknowledge cultural sites of significance, provide a sense of place and link to the local history of pre-European settlement trade of flax, flour, fruit and tuna (eels). In addition, signs will be in place to tell the story and share the narratives.

They will be funded externally by Te Runanga o Ngāti Apakura and the Taiea te Taiao project, which is led by the New Zealand Landcare Trust.

The date for installation will be confirmed after fundraising to meet the full cost.

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