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1News
14-07-2025
- General
- 1News
Chatham Islands waka find detailed in new report
A new report has shed light on the potential origins of a partially excavated waka in the Chatham Islands. The report concluded the waka was of pre-European construction and likely from a time before significant cultural separation between Aotearoa and the Pacific. But questions around the exact age and size of the waka remain, and experts recommend the Chatham Island community be properly resourced to uncover the vast majority of the waka that remains buried in the sand. The report, He Waka Tipua, was prepared in May 2025 by an expert panel: Professor Sir Derek Lardelli, Kiwa Hammond, Heemi Eruera, Dr Kahutoi Te Kanawa and Dr Gerard O'Regan. It provided observations and insights on the potential provenance of the waka partially excavated on Rēkohu-Wharekauri. ADVERTISEMENT The panel visited Chatham Island in April, meeting with representatives from Hokotehi Moriori Trust and Moriori Imi Settlement Trust, representatives from Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri, as well as with Vince and Nikau Dix, who first discovered the waka. Pou Mataaho o Te Hononga Deputy Secretary Māori Crown Partnerships at the Ministry for Culture and Heritage Glenis Philip-Barbara (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Uepōhatu) said they were only beginning to understand the significance of the waka based on the approximately 5 to 10 percent of it that has been recovered so far. "[It] gives us just an indication of how important it is, but not enough information to draw any reliable provenance theories. So we've got just enough to get our curiosity going but not enough to be able to tell the story." This was a story of human endeavour that had the potential to be something extraordinary for Rēkohu/Wharekauri to contribute to the world and what we think we know about human settlement, she said. "We are hugely curious to understand how we came to be in the places we are, so we've got just a little indication here and a very clear direction from the experts... that we need to recover the rest and get on with uncovering the rest of the story because there is more to come." Some exposed pieces of the waka pictured earlier this year. (Source: Ministry for Culture & Heritage) Kiwa Hammond, the imi Moriori representative on the expert panel, described the waka as 'our Hawaikitanga' – an embodiment that tīpuna and karapuna carried for thousands of years as they migrated across the Pacific. ADVERTISEMENT "It really did challenge things that we as indigenous peoples of Te Moana Nui a Kiwa that we have accepted... but it also made us go, 'What is that? Why is that? Why is that there and what is it telling us?'" The rediscovery of the waka was of global significance because it will help us to better understand how the ancestors of Moriori operated, and exactly what went into them getting here, he said. "I mean let's be very clear – there was nothing accidental about any of their voyages," Hammon said. "The whole notion that people drifted from one location to another is a fallacy when you understand the scale of this enterprise and what was involved and what we've seen is a fraction of this waka." Hammond said it was a privilege to be able to look at the pieces of the waka and appreciate how much work and knowledge went into them. It helped the panel to appreciate just how much planning – not just weeks or months, but years – would have gone into the creation of this waka, he said. And Hammond believed it was quite likely the people who built the waka worked on more than one at a time and had whole production lines. "I liken them to a cruise liner, an ancient cruise liner, because when you consider that these waka could have anything up to 100 people, that's how big they were and I think that's something we don't quite comprehend. "As our tīpuna were traversing Te Moana Nui a Kiwa they were doing this on massive crafts, these were huge vessels." ADVERTISEMENT 'Waka tuitui' – a planked waka Based on what had been recovered to date, it was clear the Chatham Island waka was unique. The panel named it as a 'waka tuitui' – an old term for planked waka that had been stitched or lashed together. On the New Zealand mainland, the availability of large trees such as giant kauri and tōtara saw planked waka technology give way to the large single-hull dugouts that early European voyagers observed. Hammond said often there was a misconception around the type of technology and techniques that were used when constructing the ships that brought Moriori and Māori ancestors from the Pacific. "As they were travelling around different parts of the world they made use of resources that were there and they honed their knowledge, they honed their understanding of what was the best way of making use of the resources they had at hand." The planked waka was a kind of technology that had not been seen in Aotearoa for a very long time, he said. A plank of a stitched waka recovered from a swamp in Anaweka, north Westland, was the only fragment found in Aotearoa confidently identified as of a 'voyaging' waka until the Chatham Island find. ADVERTISEMENT 'Burden of responsibility' – what happens next? Philip-Barbara said she was hugely grateful to the whānau of Wharekauri Station who discovered the waka, and who – with community on the island – poured their heart and soul into uncovering its story. "I'm in awe, quite excited but also feeling there is a burden of responsibility here that we have to work through." There was a day-to-day role in caring for what had been uncovered and the people of Rēkohu/Wharekauri continued to do that mahi on behalf of the entire country, she said. Hammond said it was very clear this find was a major kaupapa to the local community, and they need to be supported to see it through. "No matter who we spoke to they said, 'Look, if this is so significant then it needs to be supported.' The fact of the matter is it needs to be resourced." The panel recommended that "emphasis now should be on the urgent recovery of the remainder of the waka and ensuring the island is supported for its long-term care." ADVERTISEMENT
RNZ News
01-07-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Tommy Solomon statue on Rēkohu - Chatham Islands to be restored
The Tommy Solomon statue on Rēkohu - Chatham Islands. Photo: Supplied Work to restore the statue of the man widely regarded as the last known full-blooded Moriori has begun on Rēkohu - Chatham Islands. The statue of Tame Horomona-Rehe - known as Tommy Solomon - had degraded after standing near Manukau Point for nearly 40 years. Spokesperson Tāne Solomon said the statue commemorated a respected ancestor and honoured more than 800 years of Moriori presence in the region. Tommy Solomon was born in 1884 and was the only surviving child of Rangitapua Horomona Rehe and Ihimaera Te Teira of the Ōwenga and Ōtonga Moriori tribes. He was known for his large physical stature, warm humour, and deep commitment to his community, Tāne Solomon said. His first wife Ada Fowler, (Ngāi Tahu) died and he had five children with his second wife, Ada's niece Whakarawa (Rene) Fowler: Charles Te Teira, Thomas Tūtānekai, Ngāmare, Eric Rangitapua, and Flora. Tommy Solomon died in 1933, aged 49, and was buried at Manukau. The statue was unveiled by Prime Minister David Lange in 1986. Tāne Solomon said the statue was significant in the revival of Moriori culture and identity. "It is also a tribute to all Moriori, a symbol of Moriori resilience showing that we are still here and that will never change," he said. "To work on the statue replacement is a duty and also an honour - we owe this to all of our karapuna (ancestors)." The restoration committee was in the process of selecting a sculptor to undertake the restoration project. It aimed to have the work finished by the 40th anniversary of the unveiling in December next year. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
21-06-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Rēkohu celebrates Matariki and the arrival of Puanga
On Rēkohu, the largest island in the Chatham Islands, Moriori and Ngāti Mutunga will mark the new year celebrations together. Photo: Black Iris Productions On Rēkohu, in the Chatham Islands, traditional practices around Puanga are just one of the traditions being rediscovered. Moriori historically celebrated the star Puanga or Rigel to mark the new year. Hokotehi Moriori Trust chairman Hayden Preece said they are going through a mass rediscovery of their culture and traditions. "There is very little information about our traditions to be honest, one thing that we have found is that people would gather at the rising of Pūanga and they would point a stick with a kopi berry seed tied to the end and they would chant speeches of worship asking for fruitfulness of the kopi tree." The kopi tree - or karaka - was extremely important to Moriori, it was one of the only sources of carbohydrate in their diet so it was a integral to their survival, he said. "Part of the exciting rediscovery is we get to also add to these things. It's in line with most of our Polynesian cultures... to have that connection to the stars and to agriculture." Preece said Moriori operated on a 31 day lunar calendar and had names for every single one of those days, currently they have rediscovered 26. "So we know the first day Whiro is unlucky, avoid planting, fishing, travel, things like that." Next Wednesday students from Te One School on Rēkohu will hold their own hautapu ceremony, which Preece said will create some awareness for the children. Being able to convey that knowledge to the next generation is really important, he said. 95 percent of the population of Moriori have left the island, with only about 80 registered members on the island, he said. "Here on island with our limited population we tend to support and work together with our Ngāti Mutunga counterparts, not much point in trying to duplicate two different ceremonies, so we do a dual ceremony this year. We will look to expand and do our own one possibly next year and moving in to the future, but this year we are just going to support." Preece said he absolutely supports the idea of a national holiday. "It's awesome to see our culture being recognised across the board, our wider Polynesian culture too, it's important to so many people." Preece said he would love to see the national hautapu ceremony on the Chatham Islands one day. "We would welcome that opportunity. We might be a little bit stretched with our logistics and our ability to cater but we are a pretty resilient and resourceful people, we could make it happen. "Me rongo. And have a safe and happy Moriori new year." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
