Te waiora rere atu i te wharurua nei,

Mai runga, mai rangi hei te oranga o nga tangata

Ara, Ko Te Awa Kairangi!

Na Trevor Himona i tito

The health bearing quality of this river which traverses through the valleys, sourced from above, from the heavens, provides for the health and well being of the people- That is Te Awa Kairangi- the Hutt River.

ka whakairia te tapu, kia watea ai te ara, kia turuki whakataha ai, kia turuki whakataha ai, hui e taiki e.

Restrictions are moved aside so the pathway is clear to return to everyday activities, enriched and unified.

Tutawa mai i raro, Tutawa mai i roto, Tutawa mai i waho

Kia tau ai te mauri tu, te mauri ora ki te katoa, haumie, hui e, taiki e.

I summon from above, below, within and the surrounding environment.  The universal vitality and energy to infuse and enrich all present, unified, connected and blessed.

Wai rua

Wai ora

Wai Maori

Wai Kino

Wai Mate

Through Karakia we cleanse, we clear the way, remove Tapu, uplift mana, connect with the divine.  All things are connected and have Mauri.

Rongo is revived and reused, reincarnated for this new iteration of my work.  The piece is titled ‘Ko au te wai, ko te wai ko au’ I am the water and the water is me.

Rongo hovers above holding the pieces of Pounamu, carved long drops cascading down the black thread.  Droplets from the divine source of Rangi, pounamu from Papatuanuku with Rongo as Lord protector and peace maker.  They are held, frozen in space with awaiting vessel below that remains empty and dry.  The Onewa (greywacke) bowl has been sourced from Te Awa Kairangi the Hutt river, the main supply of fresh water for the Wellington region.  The empty bowl is a reference to the once drinkable fresh water that was supplied by the aquafiers fed by the river and now polluted by people.

The audio accompanying the work, sounds of water flowing with Karakia intertwined, echo and remenicse, hypnotise and embody the work with divine connection to the river as taonga as precious and in need of saving.

Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko ahau