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We would like to acknowledge Hemi Sundgren, Barry Te Whatu, Kereama Waru and Te Poihi Campbell who brought the cultural narrative behind Ngāmotu House to life.
Here is a short description of the cultural narrative weaved into the exterior and interior of the redeveloped building.
The external façade honours Te Atiawa ancestor Rongoueroa, the mother of Awanuiārangi. Rongoueroa is represented as a parawai – a high status cloak made of flax fibre. This parawai wraps around the building and is a symbol of protection, integrity and collectivism. It’s design also mirrors Taranaki Maunga as a tupuna for its people. The tāniko (weaving) pattern is in honour of our Te Atiawa and Taranaki weavers who were held in high regard for their craft. The niho patterns not only represents a tooth, but the communities in and around New Plymouth.
The colours, both inside and out, include blue to signify the moana (sea) and the traditional ‘Te Atiawa blue.’ The red and orange represents the kōkōwai (red ochre) found on Taranaki Maunga and symbolises the vitality of the people of Te Atiawa, and black is a symbol for papatūānuku (Earth mother). The windows on each floor are tinted in different shades to reflect the horizontal layers of the mountain – from the green of the bush on the bottom to the white of the snow and blue of the sky higher up.
The name Ngāmotu House was gifted in recognition of a number of hapū collectively known as Ngā hapū o Ngāmotu. It is also the name of the culturally significant Ngā Motu Islands, and is a name now more widely used for New Plymouth.
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Ko te pae tawhiti, whāia kia tata
Many will know that tickets for the Te Kāhui Maunga Whakataetae Kapa Haka ā Rohe 2024 were sold out in record time. The event is being held Saturday 9 March at Te Whare o Ruaputahanga - TSB Hub Te Hāwera.
Whānau loved our kaimahi t-shirts at Waitangi ki Waitara and wanted to purchase their own.