STAFF PROFILE

Jasmine washes her tāmoko in Te Hoiere. Photo: Dane Hemi-Smith

Pouārahi Māori Built Heritage

Jasmine Hemi (Ngāti Kuia, Rangitāne o Wairau, Ngāti Apa ki te Ra To)

WORDS: Niki Partsch IMAGES: Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga and Dane Hemi-Smith

How did you come to be working at Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga? Over a year ago, while studying for my Master of Architecture (Professional) and Heritage Conservation at the University of Auckland I met Ambrosia Crum, Pouārahi Māori Built Heritage. She showed me the world of Māori built heritage conservation. I did not know then that there were career paths to care for our taonga Māori in the living world. I had become accustomed to seeing our taonga cared for in museums and thought that ‘heritage conservation’ was typically centred around colonial buildings. Many conversations inspired me to seek a career in Māori built heritage. I decided to focus my thesis, Taonga o te Whenua, on the research of customary Māori building resources and techniques, and how their use could be transferred and translated within modern-day architecture. This material and technological research provided me with a solid foundation for this mahi, and shortly after finishing my studies, I was asked if I would be interested in joining the team. Of course, I said yes, and the same week, I was taken to Rotorua to meet them. I started working part-time in May 2021 and then became a full-time member of staff in July 2022. What does your role involve? I work with Māori communities, iwi, hapū and whānau groups, providing conservation advice and delivering training programmes that support and promote the preservation of Māori built heritage. I feel very fortunate to be able to travel all over Aotearoa and see such unique and significant places.

What does heritage mean to you? Heritage is a marker of time and prompts questions – Who? What? When? How? Through questioning and understanding the past, I can understand the present and the environment around me.

The beautiful Pelorus River/Te Hoiere. Photo: Supplied Jasmine working. Photo: Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga

Jasmine sits in a carved chair from Matangireia. Photo: Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga

So, whether physical or through whakapapa (genealogy), heritage helps me develop a sense of self and my grounding within the world. What are the best parts of your work? Besides working with amazing communities and breath-taking taonga, one of the best parts of this mahi is working within a highly knowledgeable and friendly team. I feel very privileged to work with well-regarded Māori built heritage experts, such as Jim Schuster, Ellen Andersen and Dean Whiting. When working with the team, I always come home with a kete full of knowledge and admiration – I couldn’t ask for better mentors.

What is a favourite heritage place to you? One of my favourite historic places is my awa, Te Hoiere, the Pelorus River in the Marlborough Sounds. It is the place where I feel at home and most connected to my iwi, Ngāti Kuia. My people are deeply connected to our awa, as it was carved by our kaitiaki (guardian), Kaikaiawaro and is a resource that continues to provide us with necessities such as kai, fresh water, transport and materials. Significantly, Te Hoiere is abundant in ngā kōhatu taonga (precious stones) such as pounamu (greenstone) and pakohe (argillite). Pakohe, in particular, was favoured by people for its enormous strength – a stone often likened to steel. It was used to create tools, weapons and adornments. Our rohe and Te Hoiere are located within the largest mineral belt of argillite in Aotearoa, making pakohe one of our highly traded resources. Our stone has been found far and wide across the two motu (North and South Island) in many archaeological sites. For these reasons, pakohe continues to be a treasured resource to my people and is why we are known as ‘Te Iwi Pakohe’, the tribe of pakohe. What story does your tāmoko (tattooing) tell? My tāmoko represents the journey of my architectural studies and the people that helped me along the way. The tāniko diamond acknowledges my whakapapa - my tīpuna (ancestors), who guided me spiritually on my path. Each koru represents important people in my life, who have helped and supported me over these hard but successful years. These koru come together to create mangōpare, the hammerhead shark, symbolising strength and resilience. These are located along my arm as a path - my journey through architecture. Lastly, the use of the shark is seen in the many niho (teeth) that adorn my tāmoko, reiterating the characteristics of the mangōpare and my determination to complete my studies. What is your hope for heritage in the future? I hope that Māori heritage continues to be recognised and understood in a context broader than just the heritage and architectural world – that everyone values the indigenous heritage of Aotearoa regardless of their background or culture. I also hope that institutions, such as universities, provide more resources and support for the inclusion of Māori heritage in the curriculum, and that Māori students who are studying heritage conservation courses recognise that there are career pathways connected to their cultural background. n Kaikaiawaro/Pelorus Jack

Our kōrero tuku iho (oral traditions) state that founding ancestor Matua Houtere used the oral maps of his tīpuna, Kupe, to cross Te Moana o Raukawakawa (Cook Strait) to find Whakatū (Nelson). Upon these travels, he found our taniwha and kaitiaki (guardian), Kaikaiawaro, a white dolphin. Kaikaiawaro would swim against waka between the rhythms of the crew’s paddles and ahead, directing the expedition. When he reached the flat plains of the Sounds Matua Houtere wanted to climb the tallest maunga (maungatapu) and use it as a vantage point from which to locate Whakatū. Kaikaiawaro assisted Matua Houtere by carving out a river with his nose – as it was quicker to travel by waka than on foot. The struggle of Kaikaiawaro’s great feat is shown through the river's many windy bends and several rua (caves). Matua Houtere followed the newly shaped river and named this awa "Te Hoiere" after his waka.

The guardianship of our kaitiaki Kaikaiawaro extended into more recent times when later settlers also had their boats and ships safely escorted through the Marlborough Sounds by a dolphin. Following these new and friendly interactions with settlers, our taniwha gained another name, the famous ‘Pelorus Jack’.