Research on Tūtahi Tonu earns first-class honours

Antonia Tangatakino-McIntyre (Ngāti Awa, Tūhoe, Te Whakatōhea, Te Whānau ā Apanui, Ngāpuhi, Mangaia, Rarotonga) is graduating with a Master of Indigenous Studies with First Class Honours from Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.

Her dissertation, He Mauri Tuku Iho: Tūtahi Tonu, the Memory Keeper, shines a light on the wharenui Tūtahi Tonu as a living repository of Māori knowledge, whakapapa, and identity.

It is considered the University’s first marae, originally established at Auckland Teachers’ College, and became renowned as a home away from home for both Māori and non-Māori teachers. This is especially reflected in the toi (artworks) within the whare, which depict cultures from around the world.

Beyond a piece of academic writing, Antonia’s dissertation was a kaupapa of aroha and service.

“This dissertation is, at its core, a love letter to Tūtahi Tonu. A whare that has held me, challenged me, inspired me, and ultimately helped shape me,” she says.

In her opening chapter, Antonia frames wharenui as “memory keepers” or spaces that embody Māoritanga, toi Māori, and mātauranga Māori. Every carving, painted rafter, and woven panel is more than decoration: they are visual archives, encoding whakapapa, atua, and iwi histories.

“I pretty much just wrote a detailed – but not too detailed – account of how whakairo, kōwhaiwhai and tukutuku are intergenerational,” Antonia explains. “They transmit mātauranga Māori through multiple generations, but only through those styles of a marae. That’s why they are so important to Tūtahi Tonu.”

Unlike many marae, Tūtahi Tonu is not iwi-based, so its taonga needed to resonate widely. “The new pou whakairo had to connect with multiple students, not just Māori students. And that’s what a lot of my work focuses on – how the whare speaks to everyone who enters.”

Carved, painted, woven futures

Chapter Four of her dissertation is the creative and symbolic centre of her work. Here, Antonia explores the new pou whakairo by Ngāti Whātua and Ngāpuhi master carver Arekatera (Katz) Maihi, alongside the restored kōwhaiwhai and contemporary tukutuku panels.

Each pou, she says, was created with deep intentionality.

For example, Antonia considers the hono taniwha which represents intercultural dialogue, acknowledging the connections between Māori and Asian communities at the University.

Te pou wāhine centres mana wāhine, recognising wāhine Māori as life-givers, educators, and carriers of intergenerational knowledge.

Te pou mātauranga symbolises the pursuit of wisdom, the embryo of knowledge, and the role of Māori education in shaping futures.

“These works are not static art pieces – they are dynamic sites of knowledge and cultural authorship,” Antonia says. “Having a strong passion for art, it was a really nice transition to mix Māori art and media within an academic setting.”

A gift to Waipapa Taumata Rau

Antonia was part of the Kāhui team that oversaw the relocation and restoration of Tūtahi Tonu from the Epsom campus to the city. “I was always there helping with the restoration, going to the meetings,” she recalls. “The Kāhui encouraged me to do my dissertation on it because they knew how passionate I was about the whare. It was another way I could give back to them, and to Tūtahi Tonu.”

Her supervisor, Dr Te Kapua O’Connor, says Antonia’s work is a taonga for both the University and te ao Māori: “Antonia’s research demonstrates how wharenui are not simply symbolic spaces, but living knowledge systems. Her achievement honours Tūtahi Tonu and ensures its legacy is carried into the future of Waipapa Taumata Rau. We’re incredibly proud of her.”

Antonia has also been co-lecturing part-time in the Faculty of Arts and Education.

“I’ve co-lectured Education 114: Introduction to Māori Education and it’s been really cool. It’s been a really nice opening, a starting place to feel what being a lecturer feels like.” Becoming a Professor is still one of her long-term goals.

For Antonia, graduation marks both an ending and a continuation.

“Tūtahi Tonu has been a constant companion throughout my journey – as a student, a kaiako, and a wāhine Māori. This research is about honouring the whare as a space of belonging, resilience, and survival.”

As the University continues to grow its Māori presence on campus, Antonia’s work is a reminder that whare like Tūtahi Tonu are not just structures, but living wharenui that carry knowledge forward for generations to come.