Monuments exhibition a must-see for locals
Tai Moana Tai Tangata is a show which packs a punch as soon as you walk through the door of the GovettBrewster Art Gallery.
Monumental in scale, the very size of the works are hard to ignore, but the theme is too important to shy away from.
The sculptures of Brett Graham (Nga¯ti Koroki-Kahukura and Tainui) are used to consider colonisation through the lens of tangata whenua, while exploring a connection forged between Taranaki and Tainui Ma¯ori during the time of the land wars raged in both their regions.
It’s an exhibition which deserves your time, as the deeper meaning it has to impart lies behind the sculptures themselves.
The works subvert what we think they might mean at first glance to portray something entirely different.
Tai Moana Tai Tangata is not a show to entertain or amuse.
It encourages the viewer to stop, think and reflect on our region’s history, and from Graham’s perspective, learn something too.
I was born and raised in Waitara, where I once unwittingly walked streets named McLean, Parris, Cracroft and Browne, unaware they recognised men who had a direct role in the land confiscation and subsequent conflict which shaped the town and caused an enduring mamae (hurt) for tangata whenua.
There was a time I never knew Te Kohia Pa¯ existed, or where the Pekapeka block was, never mind the history of Parihaka and messages of peace promoted by prophets Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Ka¯kahi.
It has been through my tenure as a reporter at the Taranaki Daily News which has given me some insight into the loss and devastation wrought on tangata whenua.
Through ko¯rero and research I have done to prepare for stories, I am more aware than ever of how widespread land confiscation, achieved through warfare and then government legislation, impacted on Ma¯ori, who have suffered financially, culturally and psychologically since.
Yes, Taranaki is a place like no other.
With Taranaki Maunga and his proximity to the sea, the region is an attractive place to live and play.
But it has backstory which should not be ignored, or denied. As the people of Taranaki, we all have a duty to find out the warts and all stories which have created this place we call home. And to fully acknowledge that in the face of historical adversity, Taranaki Ma¯ori remain a resilient and patient people.
They have persisted through the struggle to survive and revive their culture, the fight to get recognition and compensation for the wrongs wrought on them by the Crown and the ongoing battle to have their rightful status as tangata whenua recognised. But the quest to achieve these goals has never been at the expense of Pa¯keha¯, or non-Ma¯ori.
The ko¯rero I constantly hear from tangata whenua is around building partnerships and breathing life into the true intentions of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The opportunities are already ripe for those conversations to happen. All you need to do is look.
December 18 marked my last day reporting for the Taranaki Daily News. Being able to share stories which matter to our region has been an absolute privilege. Nga¯ mihi nui ki a koutou mo¯ te ko¯rero.