Ko Rongowhakaata

This book is published to mark the opening of the Ko Rongowhakaata: The Story of Light and Shadow exhibition at Te Papa, which represents the culmination and breadth of Rongowhakaata history and whakaaro (considerations) and has the significant meeting house Te Hau ki Turanga as its central statement of identity and aspiration. The book showcases more than 60 Rongowhakaata taonga, and its text, in English and te reo Maori, focuses on key threads including innovation and kaitiekitanga (sustainable processes). It also explores layers of encounter within Turanga - Rongowhakaata and Gisborne iwi first encountered the British in 1769, during Captain Cook's arrival in Poverty Bay - and the impacts of those encounters on the shape and position of the iwi, and indeed modern New Zealand, today.