Roundabout comes full circle
Iwi attend the opening of the SH6 Tancred Crescent Roundabout’s pou whenua (land post). Photo: Rangitāne o Wairau
Safety improvements to SH6 between Woodbourne and Blenheim have received a cultural lift with the opening of an installation topping the Tancred Crescent Roundabout.
Te Waka a Māui, a pou whenua (land post), is the end result of a land exchange between iwi and NZTA for the property needed for the road-safety project.
Representatives of Rangitāne o Wairau, Ngāti Rārua, and Ngāti Toa participated in the unveiling ceremony.
According to the Rangitāne announcement on Friday, the pou is made from corten steel and evokes imagery of a waka turned upright.
“Its placement is intentional,” the iwi explained, “in the way it’s upright, connecting ourselves to the heavens and those gone before us, as well as facing towards Blenheim as you enter the rohe (area).”
Te Waka a Māui’s “name and form reflect the traditions of tupuna Māui and the importance of waka as vessels of movement, connection and identity.”
NZTA allocated $150,000 for design, fabrication and installation. Master carver Fayne Robinson from Art Fetiche, the pou’s manufacturer, designed it. Te Rūnanga a Rangitāne o Wairau coordinated development and delivery.
Noted Rangitāne’s Corey Hebberd: “Iwi made land available through a land exchange to enable important safety improvements at Woodbourne, and the pou recognises both that contribution and the significance of this entrance point into Wairau, alongside a broader cultural narrative associated with our landscape and history in this region.”