Local iwi have inspired, guided and supported our restoration at Rosedale Park since the project’s inception.
As part of that process, they chose the te reo portion of the project’s name, Te Hōnonga a Iwi.
In the video above, Kaumatua Richard Nahi, from Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara, explains why the name was chosen and what it means.
“Te Hōnonga a Iwi virtually means the responsibility of being a kaitiaki, which also means being a kaitiakitanga, which means looking after the land, caring for the waterways, caring for the piece that has been designated or, in this particular sense, mapped out,” he says.
Kaitiakitanga is a very old word, according to Richard.
“The original sense of kaitiakitanga from the tribal point of view is that the tribe owned it. So the tribe took full responsibility and ensured that allocations of land were looked after by certain people of the tribe.
“Today it means guardianship, it means stewardship, which means looking after on behalf of someone.
“Te Hono means to join. Te Hononga is a way of people coming together, regardless of nationality, what area they come from, what country they come from. It’s a recognition of everybody together working as one people for a purpose and the kaitiakitanga of the whenua and the waterway.”
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