Whakarongo, whakarongo, whakarongo mai!
Ki te maharatanga o ngā wai e rere mai nei, e rere atu rā
Mai i a Ranginui ka heke ōna roimata hei ua ki a Papatūānuku
Ka nekehia e ngā ua i runga i te kiri o te papa ki ngā manga
Ka whakakotahi ai ngā manga ki te awa
Rere mai e Waihorotiu, toitū tō mana
Te kura huna i raro i ō mātou tapuwae nei
E rere atu ki Waitematā Kupenga Rau
Mai i Waitematā Kupenga Rau ki Te Moana nui-a-Toi
Mai i Te Moana nui-a-Toi ki Te Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa
Ka kohikohi anō ngā wai katoa ki a Ranginui, ake ake te hurihanga wai
Ko ngā wai, ō tātou taonga e tuku iho mai
Ki a tātou o te ao tūroa kia tiaki ai, kia manaaki ai
Mō ngā whakapaparanga o āpōpō....
Oranga wai, oranga tāngata!
Listen, listen, listen here!
To the memory of the waters that flow to here, that flow away from here
The Sky Father’s tears fall as rain to the Earth Mother
The waters gather across the skin of the land as streams
Which unite to become the river
Flow here Waihorotiu, your mana stands
The hidden treasure beneath our footprints here in this place
Which flows to the Waitematā harbour, the place of many nets
From Waitematā the waters flow to the Hauraki Gulf
From the Hauraki Gulf they flow to the great sea of Kiwa, the Pacific Ocean
These waters all rise again to the Sky Father to begin the cycle once more
The treasure that is our waters
Gifted to all of us here to safeguard and care
For all of those yet to come....
Healthy waters, healthy people!
Ka Tū Te Mana o Waihorotiu
Wastewater upgrade construction site hoardings mahi toi (art)
Waihorotiu: He taonga (a treasure)
For Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, the origin of the name Waihorotiu stems from the stream’s natural alignment with the historic fortified pā site, Horotiu. This citadel originally stood on the dormant volcanic feature, which was modified significantly in the mid-19th century to provide the Albert Barracks and was later further domesticated by the colonial administration to become Albert Park. This association with Horotiu provides the name Waihorotiu - literally the waters associated with this pā site.
Of all of the original waterways within central Tāmaki, Waihorotiu is likely the most mistreated in the period since colonial settlement was formally established in 1840. The transition from being the very source of life and wellbeing in this valley to variously drain, waste receptacle, public health hazard and development nuisance has been remarkable.
The Waihorotiu valley can be physically defined as the area contained by the Symonds Street, Karangahape Road and Hobson Street ridgelines. This valley is now one of the hardest and most urbanized catchments in Aotearoa. Topography aside, there is no evidence of any natural systems relating to wai in this valley. Any rain that falls upon this valley is quickly and conveniently picked up in the extensive stormwater system and ushered as quickly and conveniently as possible out of the valley.
Here in 21st century Auckland, through engineered solutions, political systems and imperatives, enduring colonial attitudes, individual property rights and interests, risk management, reductive thinking and a perceived right to water as resource, there is little surprise that Waihorotiu has been rendered invisible and silent, deprived of light and the opportunity to laugh and dance, of the right to be of herself. Her mana and mauri unrecognised and unrecognisable in our modern urban landscape.
Entire generations of tangata whenua have grown up in, on, and of their ancestral whenua and never known Waihorotiu in its natural place and form.
Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei have a vision for all wai that exists within Te Kahu Tōpuni o Tuperiri, being that:
Our wai flows clean, clear and true
They will continue to advocate for opportunities for nature-based solutions within all developments within their rohe, and particularly within the Tuku Whenua as their tribal heartland. At every single opportunity they collaborate with partners such as Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau to achieve a form for Waihorotiu that allows her to emerge and be welcomed in a naturalistic form and manner.
The mahitoi developed within this kaupapa is a creative expression of their tribal aspirations and their kaitiaki role as ahi-kā for Tāmaki, conceptualised and expressed by one of the emerging ringatoi of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei.
Te ringatoi (the artist)
Caine Taihia is an up-and-coming ringatoi talent within Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. Caine is a proud descendant of Tarahawaiki, one of the sons of the eponymous ancestor of the tribe, Tuperiri. Caine lives with his whānau on his ancestral papakāinga (village) at Ōrākei.
These works represent Caine’s first commissioned mahi toi, and Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei are proud to support Caine and this mahi, delivered alongside Watercare and Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau. Caine has also been supported by senior whānau ringatoi, Numangatangi McKenzie, through a traditional tuakana-teina nurturing relationship, based on the sharing of wisdom and experience.
In providing this opportunity for Caine to bring to life some of the tribal narratives of Waihorotiu, this initiative demonstrates how partnerships between tangata whenua and local government can be impactful, uplifting, mutually beneficial and how together we can help the broader community better understand their place in the world.
Queen Street /Mayoral Drive Site
Waihorotiu Waiāio – Essence of place
The Waihorotiu valley and its form have been shaped by the effect of wai. Despite Waihorotiu being gathered and piped away out of the light of day in modern form, she has historically assumed the form of wainuku, puna, awa, of repo and of pūkohu in this valley. In these natural and native forms wai has either risen again to meet Ranginui, settled within the bosom of Papatūānuku or gathered to meet Tangaroa as part of Te Hurihanga Wai, the natural water cycle.
Waihorotiu Waiāio – Essence of place
Pūkohu – Atmospheric wai
Pūkohu emerges during the cooler months, providing the mists and fogs which nestle in the valleys across the isthmus. The deity of these natural mists is Hinepūkohu, and at certain times of the year she makes her presence known to us within the upper reaches of Waihorotiu in the vicinity of Myers Park below the Karanga-a-Hape ridgeline.
Pūkohu – Atmospheric wai
Wainuku – Whenua-based wai/aquifers
Mataoho is the deity of earthquakes and volcanic activity his earth-shaping works evident in the ancient volcano that Albert Park now sits atop of. Wainuku are the groundwaters that gather within the whenua, favouring the many voids left by Mataoho as his kara (basalt) flowed across the Tāmaki volcanic field. Wainuku keeps the whenua healthy and helps natural streams maintain balance and flow.
Wainuku – Whenua-based wai/aquifers
Ua/kapua – Rain/clouds
The Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei creation story speaks of the separation of Ranginui the Sky Father from Papatūānuku the earth mother by their children. Light flooded into this new space, and with that life emerged to create Te Ao Mārama, the world of light that we live in today. The pain of separation of Ranginui is marked by his tears falling to his wife as ua or waiorangi, the rain. Rain has been an active agent in the shaping of this valley and continues to provide Waihorotiu with life today.
Kapua (clouds) provide us with clues as to the intent of Tāwhirimātea, the deity of winds and weather – the wind and weather patterns writ large in our Tāmaki skies for all to read.
Ua/kapua – Rain/clouds
Queen Street/Wellesley Street East Site
Waimahara – Holder of memories
The footprints of our tūpuna and those who came before us are deep and warm in this valley. The interactions of the people of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei over the millenia are recorded on the names that are inscribed into their memories, and kept alive through their pūrākau (ancient legends), waiata and kōrero, reminding us of life alongside and with Waihorotiu. The people of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei have lived, loved, fought and died with Waihorotiu for many, many generations, and Ngāti Whātua will continue to do so as tangata whenua.
Waimahara – Holder of memories
Wai-a-Mai – Carrier of our futures
Our futures are most often obvious in our pasts. To return the mana, the mauri and the oranga of Waihorotiu requires that the role of tangata whenua is inextricably tied to this wai. With will and wisdom, Waihorotiu can live again, can laugh again, can be part of the daily lives of our mokopuna and for all who live, work, play and have cause to visit the Tāmaki that must inevitably replace Auckland. Waihorotiu can, through being physically present again, assume a form which will help carry us forward into the future.
Wai-a-Mai – Carrier of our futures
Te Hurihanga Wai- The natural water cycle
As tangata whenua and kaitiaki for Tāmaki, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei recognise water as being a singular taonga - Wai. Wai chooses to express itself in any of the many natural forms that make up Te Hurihanga Wai, the natural water cycle. There is no differentiation between fresh and salt water, and all wai has a mana and a mauri as it moves naturally through this endless cycle of life itself. The many different forms of wai share a common whakapapa which inextricably connects Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei to their wai as part of te taiao (the environment).
Te Hurihanga Wai- The natural water cycle
Queen Street/Victoria Street East
Waimāori – Healthy water
Wai is a taonga for all and is the essence of life itself. Wai carries a mana and is imbued with mauri both of which can be eroded and enhanced. The wellbeing of the people and the communities that connect to wai is directly impacted by the ‘condition’ of the mana and the mauri of wai within the spaces they occupy. It remains a core element of the kaitiakitanga of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei as tangata whenua to work ceaselessly with other parties to elevate the mana and regenerate the mauri of Waihorotiu.
Waimāori – Healthy water
Waitī – Celestial kaitiaki of freshwater
Waitī is whetū wahine, a female and nurturing star of the constellation we know as Matariki. Her place in the heavens allow her to watch how we care for her freshwater domain, the springs, streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands and all of the plants and animals that live there. The presence of Waitī in the sky as part of Matariki provides us with the memory and inspiration to recognise Waihorotiu and to bring her back to life.
Hine-te-repo – The swamp maiden
Hine-te-Repo is acknowledged as the deity for the repo, the wetlands and swamp. She has great importance to healthy natural ecosystems, flexing to absorb heavy and concentrated rainfall, and to act as filter and habitat before sending the wai to meet Tangaroa. The dwelling place of Hine-te-repo place in this valley was in the area now occupied by Aotea Square, which had an ancestral kāinga (settlement) sited alongside.
Hine-te-repo – The swamp maiden
Waiora – bringer of life
For those tūpuna who thrived in this valley, Waihorotiu provided both physical and spiritual sustenance. Practices were enacted to ensure that balance was maintained at all times, that realms were acknowledged, and that the mana and mauri of the wai were elevated by these practices. The ahi-kā and kaitiakitanga of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei is inextricably linked to Waihorotiu.
Waiora – Bringer of life
