ABOUT US
Te Maru o Hinemihi is one of four project partners in the future developments of Hinemihi o te Ao Tawhito and a new marae at Clandon Park, working with Ngā Kohinga Whakairo o Hinemihi, National Trust, and Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.Te Maru o Hinemihi defines its role as:
Kaitiakitanga (Guardianship): To support Ngā Kohinga Whakairo o Hinemihi and the National Trust in the exchange of Hinemihi’s existing carvings to Aotearoa and new carvings specifically designed for a new wharenui at Clandon Park.
- To assist in developing a shared kaupapa based on mātauranga Māori adapted to legislative/cultural practices in the UK.
- To lead the UK part of that collaborative process, by facilitating UK/NZ and community inputs.
- To provide UK support for Ngā Kohinga Whakairo o Hinemihi’s care of Hinemihi carvings after the exchange.
- To be a point of connection in the UK between Hinemihi and all her people near and far, those locally present at Clandon Park, her descendants, other Māori & Pasifika communities in UK (Ngāti Rānana, Te Kohanga Reo o Rānana, Moku, Beats of Polynesia etc.) and globally.
- To help develop an inclusive collaborative co-design process for the new pan-iwi wharenui at Clandon Park.
- To support the diverse communities that have grown up around Hinemihi o te Ao Tawhito and will continue to grow with the new wharenui.
- To shape and participate in the ongoing governance of the new marae: i.e. develop a marae komiti for the Clandon Park marae.
Mātauranga Māori (Māori Knowledge): A UK pūkenga (expert) group who can be drawn upon to support the care of Hinemihi o te Ao Tawhito and the new Clandon Park marae.
- To foster a broad network of interest in the UK across a range of different communities.
- To contribute to the creation of new elements for the new wharenui (e.g. tukutuku panels, kowhaiwhai, etc.)
- To be the custodians of Hinemihi’s memory in the UK and manage an archive of Te Maru activities.
- Ensure that Māori tikanga are observed appropriately in and around Hinemihi and the new marae.
We envision that the role of Te Maru o Hinemihi will evolve as the current project progresses, and this may entail changes in membership or structure going into the future.