Rodney Ngawaka talk
On a stunning Sunday afternoon OME hosted an outdoor community event, where Rodney Ngawaka, a local storyteller, delighted a crowd of over 40 people with his knowledge of Aotea history. We learned that the Takitimu waka came to Wai O Ruawharo all the way from Hawaiiki carrying high priests and leaders, what Rodney referred to as an equivalent to todays scientists. Rodney asked the crowd what the people in this waka would have seen first as they approached Aotea. There were a few good replies from the crowd like tall podocarp trees such as kauri and kahikatea etc, but the answer he was looking for was of course seabirds! These birds would have been the welcoming committee and would have been the first sign of nearing land. Back then, ca. 1250, seabirds would have been abundant, a sure sign of a thriving and plentiful ecosystem.
Today we have a remnant tākoketai (black petrel) population and likely also tītī (cook’s petrel) nesting around the ridge at the top of our bay as well as oī (grey faced petrel) on the cliffs, but the sheer numbers would have seen a huge decline since the first people set foot on this island, bringing introduced predators with them.
We also learned that our pākeha expectations of learning only about our own little area are unrealistic from a Māori perspective where everything is connected and related. We were reassured that OME’s kaitiakitanga or guardianship of our whenua (land) and ngā repo (wetlands) reflects the common goals of wishing to heal the land and bring back the mauri. We really enjoyed this casual event and think the thirst quenching kawakawa lemonade supplied was just the ticket.
