Me Anga Whakamua

Waitangi Day 2022 will be celebrated in Whangarei by The Hihiaua Cultural Centre Trust by the launching of an inspirational book and multi-media exhibition entitled “Me Anga Whakamua – Facing the Future.”

The book, edited by Janet Hetaraka,  brings together exquisite portrait photography by Diane Stoppard and the thoughts and aspirations of tangata whenua while the exhibition includes traditional whakairo, raranga as well as videography, photography, prints, pottery and jewellery.

The launch, funded by the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, is open to the public at Hihiaua on Waitangi Day and will take place across the month of February under tikanga Maori and the Covid Protection Framework.

Publication of the book was supported by Te Au Marie Trust as a Tuia 250 legacy project of Tuia 250. Hihiaua was the focal point of Tuia 250 in Whangarei for the mass haka pōwhiri for the crews of the waka hourua and tall ships flotilla on November 2, 2019.  The book contains photography made that day by local photographer Diane Stoppard as well as historical and topical narratives giving different perspectives of the past 250 years and hopes for the future.

Distinguished Professor Dame Anne Salmond says the book, with its “ eloquent portraits and moving testimonies”  looks back to the first encounters between Māori and Europeans in Tai Tokerau while looking forward to a shared future “under the cloak of peace.”

She calls it “a marvellous koha from a lineage of visionaries which will inspire all New Zealanders to work together with aroha for our children and grandchildren.”

Tuia – Encounters 250 was a commemoration in 2019 marking 250 years since the first onshore encounters between Māori and Pākehā in 1769. Tuia 250 celebrated Aotearoa New Zealand’s Pacific voyaging heritage and was a national opportunity to hold honest conversations about the past, the present and how we navigate our shared future.

For further information contact:

Janet Hetaraka
Email: janet@hihiaua.org.nz
Phone: 021 741183