Our partnership with iwi Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika and Ngāti Toa Rangatira is important as it recognises and respects their role and responsibility as kaitiaki (guardians) of the area where we’re working.
NZTA also recognises and respects Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi). It is committed to working with mana whenua throughout construction of the Melling Transport Improvements (part of Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi) to build an enduring partnership and to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes. As kaitiaki (guardians) of the project area, mana whenua provide cultural guidance and leadership on design, environmental, planning and construction matters.
Taranaki Whānui(external link)
Ngāti Toa Rangatira(external link)
Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi
Mana whenua gifted the name and cultural narrative of Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi – The Soothing Waters of Te Awa Kairangi to the transformational programme of work that includes the Melling Transport Improvements, and to the Alliance delivering this work
It was gifted by Kura Moeahu, iwi leader of Te Āti Awa and Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika, at a pōwhiri held at Te Tatau o te Pō Marae in April 2023.
The narrative acknowledges the story of the tupua Ngake and how the whipping and lashing of his tail created Te Awa Kairangi. The valley formed as Ngake broke free from the landlocked lake, where he lived with Whātaitai, to form Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington Harbour).
The name Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi came out of the nurturing and caring qualities of the kuia (ancestresses) Hine-wai-tōtā, Hine-kōrako and Hine-wairere to gently heal and soothe the scar Ngake left on Papatūānuku (earth mother). To this day, they continue to nurture and care for her.
Te Awa Kairangi, like many rivers, began life through the kuia, being the ancestress of condensation, lunar droplets and water flow gathering on the many peaks on both sides of the valley, running off the land and following into the cracks and crevices within the landscape. The many small tributaries joined together, growing larger forming the collective mass of Te Awa Kairangi, flowing every second of the day.
The narrative is a reminder about the importance of caring for the river, the land, and wider environment.
