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2024 Conference Theme - ‘Mā muri mā mua’
Mā Muri, Mā Mua is an adage that means “The Past Influences the Future”.
In terms of Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato and both our Hamilton and Tauranga campuses the Past and Future are the captured at a multitude of levels.
Some of these understandings have been shared in the explanation of the NZARE Conference design outlined below.
Donn Ratana
"Donn Ratana is, he tangata o te kohu, a man of the mist. He emerges from the ancestral Tūhoe mists which define the Urewera Ranges and gives agency to his artistic inquiry. The depictions of his early life to the socio-political provocations of his paintings and sculptural works emerge from a Tūhoe mind. Living in the midst of the mists that weave throughout the bridges of Kirikiriroa, he has created a lifetime of art through his own works and in the influence, he provided as the parent of two renowned artists: Saffron Te Ratana and Aimee Ratana. Beyond that still, as an art education specialist, training two generations of teacher trainees at the University of Waikato Te Whare Wananga o Waikato."
~ quoted from He Tangata o Te Kohu (A Man of the Mist) Ramp Gallery, 17 Nov 2022 - Jan 2023, curated by Leafa Wilson (Public Art Heritage Aotearoa New Zealand).
2024 tohu (design)
The white represents Te Mangopare (the hammerhead shark). A fish who shows determination, strength and tenacity towards survival. When taken out of the water it takes a long time to die. These are qualities that we as learners are encouraged to use during our respective learning, teaching and research journeys.
The Mangopare are painted on the maihi (front barge boards) of our Wharenui, Te Ao Hurihuri at Te Kohinga Mārama marae.
Te Ao Hurihuri means the ever changing world. Te Kohinga Mārama is the gathering of enlightenment over time ... Mā Muri, Mā Mua.
The Mangopare, and many other marine life are located in Te Moana a Toi te huatahi (Bay of Plenty) and are represented in the Whare Manaaki o Te Manawaroa on the Tauranga Moana Campus. The Mangopare and the tamariki o Tangaroa celebrates and represents our tribal connections between Tauranga Moana and Waikato over time... Mā Muri, Mā Mua.
In Te Pā, Tangaroa, the guardian of the sea, is a pou, or a main carving, in the whare nui, Ko te Tangata. The Mangopare is a painted element between the tukutuku panels on the back wall.
The presence of Tangaroa across all three marae sites of Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato unifies our journeys in the search of knowledge over time...Mā Muri, Mā Mua.
The Mangopare design is partly portrayed to highlight movement over time, from Te Kore (dark / black) to Te Ao Mārama (the light, gold.) ...Mā Muri, Mā Mua.
The bright outside red and blue lines represents the whenua (land) and the wai (water) of the past when it was clean, rich, fresh and pure.
Red means Toto ki te whenua / the blood lost for land. Blue is the colour of water.
The dark inside red and blue lines represents whenua (land) and the wai (water) in the present and potential future. From the clean, rich, fresh and pure qualities of the Past to the polluted, dirty, eroded and unwell state of the present and potential future ...Mā Muri, Mā Mua.
The results of environmental influences such as Climate change, Floods, Cyclones and Earthquakes combined with human influences such as Pollution, Pandemics, Wars and Economic recessions also resonates with the state of our whenua and wai ...Mā Muri, Mā Mua.
The colours represented in the triangle shape means: red – whenua, white movement, black is the past.
The Triangle shape in Waikato Tainui terms is Niho Taniwha. (The tooth of the taniwha)
This is the strongest defensive and attacking formation of a war party, Tū Tauā.
The Niho Taniwha represents the place, space and time that the 2024 NZARE conference is being hosted and in metaphorical terms, highlights the advancing and sharing of new knowledge and deflecting and defending challenges against our kaupapa rangahau, (research purpose) over time ...Mā Muri, Mā Mua.
Ngā mihi ki a:
Donn Ratana (Renowned and Respected Artist)
Joseph MacFarlane (Director Tauranga Campus Operations)
Karaitiana Tamatea (Kaiurungi & Assoc Dean Māori o te Wānanga Toi Tangata)
Waikato Conference Convenors
Karaitiana Tamatea
karaitiana.tamatea@waikato.ac.nz
Cathy Buntting
cathy.buntting@waikato.ac.nz
