The kaiwhakairo of the pou found in the Christchurch region diced and desecrated over the weekend has spoken about the mamae caused from the act of vandalism.
Caine Tauwhare with the pou, Kōauau o Tāne Whakapiripiri. Photo: Supplied
The pou named Kōauau o Tāne Whakapiripiri was shown to have been sliced into pieces and left unrecognisable at Otuherekio, also known as Pony Point.
Kōauau o Tāne Whakapiripiri. Photo: Supplied
Caine Tauwhare along with students from his carving school Whakaraupō Carving Centre Trust, carved the pou and gifted it to the Christchurch City Council in 2012 to help grow the presence of tāonga across the Banks Peninsula region.
Tauwhare recalled the moment he saw the timber whakairo (carving) destroyed which he described as "very disturbing and certainly a big mamae to carry".
A lot of aroha and love had been invested in the creation of the pou and it was valued by the whole community, he said.
"It's definitely disappointing, there is mamae there for sure. I know the love the community had for the pou, especially our pākeha neighbours, probably more so than us in some ways.
"So yeah, very disheartening and saddened, the fact that we still see violence of this magnitude or hatred of this magnitude in this country."
Tauwhare has been a part of Whakaraupō Carving Centre Trust since it was established about 10 years ago.
While growing up in Ngāruawāhia Tauwhare grasped a passion for whakairo after spending a lot of time around his uncles who were carvers.
He felt it was important to grasp more knowledge related to his whakapapa and Māoritanga so he could pass it on to his own children.
For Tauwhare, he enjoyed being able to teach people about mahi whakairo and he saw there been a positive shift amongst the Christchurch community who had supported the creation of more mahi whakairo.
"I've been able to teach many people from all over Christchurch, especially around the art of whakairo and being able to place pou, waharoa and whakairo of all sorts upon the whenua.
"I get lots and lots of encouragement from the community and have seen real change."
The pou was of great significance to local manawhenua, Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke as it was placed on top of a hill looking over the hapū papakainga.
It was named after their ancestor Tāne whakapiripiri, representing the coming together of the people.
A small hole had been carved into the pou as a representation of a kōauau, a traditional Māori musical instrument which would often catch the easterly wind and created a whistling call, hence the name - Kōauau o Tāne Whakapiripiri.
In a statement online today, Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke said they were saddened by the act of vandalism that saw the whakairo destroyed but they were encouraged by the tīpuna (ancestors) of Parihaka to follow their approach of healing.
They said they were heartened by the response from the Whakaraupō and wider community and were looking forward to moving forward together.
"The pou Kōauau o Tāne Whakapiripiri which was sited at Ōtuherekio was created by Caine Tauwhare and his students with aroha for everyone to appreciate.
"The site where it stood marked a traditional gathering place of manuhiri (visitors) before being welcomed to Rāpaki Mārae during a pōwhiri.
"We hope that we can continue to create and spread aroha."
Tauwhare, although hurt and disappointed the pou had been destroyed, was not too broken, saying there were "more than enough rākau around the region to carve another one".
"This is just one minor hiccup really, although very disheartening, we can rebuild.
"The pou was created with aroha, so we can re-create that, and we can spread more aroha, it just gives us encouragement to do more."