Māori research centre re-cloaked with whakairo

The carvings are now gracing the entrance to James Henare Research Centre at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland once more.

Fred Harrison remembers his whānau felling two kauri that were hundreds of years old on an East Cape farm, then using some of that wood for the original carvings.

Restoring the carvings brought back memories of working with his father, tohunga whakairo Dr Pakāriki Harrisonon, on the original carvings in the early 1990s, when Fred was a teenager.

“Dad was my greatest teacher. I started learning when I was four years old. I was on the broom sweeping for the master and watching him teach,” he says.

Fred has been training his own daughter, Aniwa Harrison, in whakairo since she was four years old, so she was able to help with the restoration project.

James Henare Research Centre Director Dr Tia Dawes says the carvings were erected when the centre officially opened in 1994, but were removed in about 2014 due to rot in the wood.

The building housing the centre was built for British officers in the 1860s and looked like a colonial cottage, before the carvings were erected again on 15 May, he says.

“The carvings are important to the centre’s sense of identity as a Māori research centre focused on the wellbeing of our people in Tāmaki and Te Tai Tokerau.

“They clearly signal that it’s a Māori research centre and help nurture the mauri of the space.

“There was a real sense it was tika, the right thing to do – the carvings needed to be back on the whare,” says Dawes.

While traditional stone chisels were used for some of the original work, this time around Fred used modern hand and power tools. He also coated the whakairo with resins and acrylic paints to help them withstand the elements.

“They should reach 100 years and still retain their original mauri and look and feel.

“They will remain transmitters and receivers of the knowledge of the people who pass through.”

The 55-year-old says working on the carvings has been a privilege.

“As soon as I heard about this project, I spent all my time dreaming about it.

“For the tohunga whakairo, it’s mostly about thought, then once the vision is clear you can proceed without any mistakes and the end comes practically before the beginning.

“I have hardly slept and have been working all the time. It’s been so enjoyable – I felt the history when I worked on it.”

A maihi, horizontal lintel, is now hanging above the doorway, representing a layer of whakapapa.

A koruru, carved head, above the doorway represents Tāne as bearer of words of knowledge.

Two amo, posts, support the lintel, featuring the carved figures of Rua-te-pupuke and Rua-te-kukune, representing the accumulation and dissemination of knowledge.

An unveiling ceremony for the restored carvings was held at dawn on 19 May.