Six new pou whenua have been blessed and unveiled this morning outside Te Kura o Pakipaki on State Highway 2 / Hawke’s Bay Expressway.
The new pou whenua are situated at the start of the southern end of Hawke’s Bay Expressway, sitting up to five metres high, marking the finish of a safety improvements project outside the kura.
Waka Kotahi Senior Project Manager Jacob Laird says the pou whenua are a fitting new landmark at the southern end of the expressway and are a special way to close out the wider safety improvement project.
“We’ve come together today to celebrate the pou whenua and the partnership Waka Kotahi has with the Pakipaki community.
“It’s been a real team effort and I’d like to thank mana whenua, our contractors and Waka Kotahi staff for making it happen.”
The carvings were created by Frank Wainohu, who has spent the past year carving the Pou Whenua.
Frank says the carvings represent the four seasons and the four elements of earth, wind, fire and water. The pou whenua closest to the school also represents the Kaitiaki of the Pakipaki community.
Frank is excited to see his carvings finally in place and unveiled.
“Creating these pou whenua has been extra close to my heart as a Pakipaki local. I can’t wait to see these pou whenua every day, standing proudly, watching over the Pakipaki community and safely guiding road users through the area.
“It’s been a real community effort from start to finish and has only been made possible with the commitment from the school, the Pakipaki community and Waka Kotahi.”
Te Kura o Pakipaki principal Jessie Munro is also really excited to have the carvings in place.
“The idea was initially to provide a landmark for the area and to encourage road users to slow down through the area. So much hard work has gone into creating these pou whenua and today is a really special occasion.
“The pou we’ve unveiled today are so much more than a landmark and they will hopefully be here for generations to come - a testament to partnerships and to community involvement.”
