Te Unga Mai
Gisborne

 

Te Unga Mai – The Arrival

Te Unga Mai – The Arrival is a local initiative designed to provide a platform for both tangata whenua and pakeha to explore their heritage, those stories that are unique to one or the other, as well as those that are shared. The focus is on places and people that are of deep significance both to the local community and the nation as a whole.

Te Unga Mai commemorates our voyaging traditions and acknowledges the first formal meeting between the tangata whenua of Turanganui a Kiwa, Aotearoa, and James Cook, and the crew of the Endeavour, on Te Toka a Taiau; a significant event in the creation of the nation of Aotearoa.

2006 Te Unga Mai Festival
In 2006 the inaugural Te ?nga Mai festival was held over two days and with the participation of almost 3,000 people can be deemed an unqualified success.

Events included a Powhiri and inter-faith church service at Cook Landing Site, guided bicultural bus and train tour, cultural performances, music and festival market, a lecture series focusing on the arrival of tangata whenua to Tairawhiti and Polynesian navigation with guest speakers Wayne Ngata and Te Aturangi Nepia-Clamp, and interactive learning experiences for schools based around the Turanganui River. A publication on the heritage of the Turanganui River was also launched.

2007 Te Unga Mai Festival
This year’s event will be held over three days at Te Poho-o-Rawiri Marae; the 7th, 8th and 9th of October. Sunday’s proceedings will begin with a powhiri and interdenominational church service, followed by guided heritage tours, lectures, workshops, and cultural activities, with guest speakers including Dame Anne Salmond.

An education programme for the schools in the region will run on Monday and Tuesday and will include workshops, activities, and a guided bus tour of historical sites around the Türanganui river mouth. These can be booked through the Tairawhiti Museum. A more detailed programme will be available closer to the time.

Leading up to this years festival Te Unga Mai Trust will be running fortnightly articles in Saturdays Gisborne Herald to raise awareness of the Te Unga Mai kaupapa and the event. An educational activity sheet will also be distributed with the Gisborne Herald and made available to all schools in the district as a resource for teachers and students to increase understanding of the significance of our heritage landscapes and how past events have influenced our culture and community.

For further information and enquiries:
Te Unga Mai Trust
Phone (06) 863 3560
PO Box 746, Gisborne
Email teungamai@gmail.com