Ngā Hau te Whā/ The Four Winds
1-13 May
Israel Tangaroa Birch (Ngāpuhi, Ngāi Tawake ki te Waoku, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Rakaipaaka), Anton Forde (Taranaki, Gaeltacht, Gaelic, English), Professor Robert Jahnke ONZM FRSNZ (Ngāti Porou Ngāi Taharora, Te Whānau a Iritekura, Te Whānau a Rakairoa), Graham Tipene (Ngāti Whātua, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Haua, Ngāti Manu)
For centuries, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland has been a site of convergence. This is a place where people, ideas and energies from far and wide are drawn together by the winds: Te Hau Raki (the northerly), Te Hau Rāwhiti (the easterly), Te Hau Tonga (the southerly) and Te Hau-ā-uru (the westerly). Ngā hau e whā, the four winds, bring movement, transformation, and the dynamic interplay of cultures.
All those who settle in central Tāmaki Makaurau do so under the enduring manaakitanga (generosity and hospitality) of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, the iwi who hold mana whenua (authority over the land and water). Their tribal name traces back to Whatutāhae, an early ancestress renowned for her manaakitanga. Over the generations, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei have continued to welcome diverse peoples, embracing new connections and possibilities for innovation – despite ongoing challenges to their mana whenua.
This exhibition, Ngā Hau e Whā, highlights the vibrancy and inclusivity of Tāmaki Makaurau. The four artists hail from iwi across New Zealand and have whakapapa connections to countries around the world. They present four converging creative currents, with each artist having made monumental works in support of the right of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei to occupy Tāmaki Isthmus and inspired in different ways by the four winds.
