Making a new Tohu Whenua region

You may have heard the news already. The next region that Tohu Whenua will roll out is Kā Pākihi Whakatekateka o Waitaha Canterbury. With the new region delivered within the next two years, it will be easier than ever for all New Zealanders and visitors to find and connect with some of Canterbury’s most significant heritage places.

Rolling out in Kā Pākihi Whakatekateka o Waitaha makes a lot of sense. The region connects neighbouring Te Tai Poutini West Coast and Otago, which between them have 17 sites recognised as Tohu Whenua.

Not only will future travellers have an uninterrupted heritage trail to follow through a large part of Te Waipounamu, connecting these regions also allows for the opportunity to tell stories of past journeys throughout the South Island, irrespective of contemporary boundaries. This is especially true of journeys related to early Māori such as pounamu, trade and kai routes.

And, like all our regions, Canterbury has a rich heritage.

At the heart of how we bring a new Tohu Whenua region to life is engagement. For this purpose we’ve brought on board connector extraordinaire, Nigel Harris.

For the next two years Nigel will be leading the roll out of Tohu Whenua in his role as Pou Whakahaere Kaupapa Kā Pākihi Whakatekateka o Waitaha/Project Manager Canterbury. He’ll be working with a team of staff from our partner agencies, namely Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, Te Papa Atawhai Department of Conservation and Te Puni Kokiri Ministry of Māori Development, with key advice from Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu.

Together they’ll be connecting with iwi, hapū, local government, regional tourism organisations and heritage groups to identify and select the places that mean most to the people of Canterbury.

The full region stretches from Kaikōura in the north to Waimate in the south, and as far west as Aoraki Mount Cook.

There is no hiding the fact that we are excited about the potential line-up of heritage sites, which could include significant natural features that tell our earliest creation stories, Māori rock art sites dating back 800 years, pā sites, the heart of our women’s suffrage story, gothic revival architecture reflecting settler history throughout Christchurch, pastoral and farming history, whaling and coastal heritage, and more.

To ensure that we capture the stories of Aotearoa New Zealand’s long and rich history, we will initially work closely with iwi and hapū to add sites of significance to Māori, after which we will engage with all our other groups.

All site nominations will be assessed by our team of regional experts against Tohu Whenua’s criteria. It doesn’t matter whether Tohu Whenua sites are owned publicly or by private individuals, iwi or trusts, as long as they meet all of the following conditions:

• significant to Aotearoa New Zealand’s story (and Canterbury’s story), with good storytelling potential

And finally, all new Tohu Whenua sites get the stamp of approval from the programme’s Governance Group before we celebrate their inclusion with a launch event.

Tune in to the Tohu Whenua website and social media for updates on our progress.

Website: tohuwhenua.nz

Facebook: @TohuWhenua

Meet Nigel Harris

Meet Tohu Whenua’s newest team member – Nigel Harris (Ngāi Tahu) whose whakapapa is to Tuahiwi marae located north of Ōtautahi Christchurch.

In his role as Pou Whakahaere Kaupapa Kā Pākihi Whakatekateka o Waitaha/Project Manager Canterbury, Nigel will be managing iwi and community engagement, leading the site selection process and coordinating storytelling material and launch events, all with the support of the local team. Before joining Tohu Whenua Nigel was the Pouārahi Māori Heritage Advisor Te Tai Tonga for Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Southern Region. He has also worked for Te Papa Atawhai Department of Conservation, and in a range of other roles throughout Te Waipounamu connected with history, heritage and conservation.

What’s in a name?

As you know here at Tohu Whenua we like sharing a good story – stories are at the heart of our heritage and deepen our understanding and appreciation of it. The Māori name by which the Canterbury Plains is known, Kā Pākihi Whakatekateka o Waitaha, is no exception. And like every good story, there are different versions.

For some, Kā Pākihi Whakatekateka o Waitaha refers to the pakahi, a water-carrying vessel that was important for the trails from the Waimakariri to the Ashburton Rivers. Pākihi is also an area where no trees grow and ‘whakatekateka’ is an old term meaning ‘to create pride or to exhibit pleasure’. Another view is that whakatekateka has a different meaning of ‘seedbed’ which offers the translation ‘The treeless seedbed of Waitaha’ referring to the region where the tribe first settled and multiplied.