Ōtaki church renovations, c1947
Acknowledgements
Copyright Reproduced courtesy of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Creator
Walter R Oliver, photographer, c1947
Identifiers
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa number B.002799
TLF resource R5110
Source
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, http://www.tepapa.govt.nz
Description
This is a black-and-white photograph of two unidentified Māori women working on tukutuku panels
(woven panels) inside Rangiātea, the Anglican church at Ōtaki on the lower west coast of the North
Island of New Zealand. The women are seated, weaving the panels which are being held on a
temporary frame. The woman in the foreground is arranging the vertical slats of the tukutuku, and at
the far right of the image one part of the design, purapura whetū, or the myriad of stars, can be seen.
This image was taken by Walter R Oliver around 1947 and its negative measures 5 cm x 7 cm.
Educational value
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This asset reveals part of the interior of Rangiātea, the Anglican church at Ōtaki which was
built by people of the Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Raukawa and Te Āti Awa tribes in 1851 - the church
was an important part of the life of the local Ngāti Raukawa tribe, as well as being the oldest
Māori church in New Zealand until it was burnt down by an arsonist in 1995; it was rebuilt and
re-opened in 2004.
It shows part of a church with a significant history that reveals the role of the powerful Ngāti
Toa chief, Te Rauparaha (c1768-1849) - after the first church on the coast was built in nearby
Waikanae in 1843, Te Rauparaha promised to build an even finer church near his pā (village)
at Ōtaki; the process began with him felling trees from his own reserve in 1844; after his
release from captivity in 1848, Te Rauparaha returned to Ōtaki and thrust his sword into the
ground at the feet of the chief Te Pohotīraha, the guardian of the sacred soil of the Tainui
people, and challenged him to support the building of the church, declaring 'Come, take this
weapon! I no longer survey the land; I shall survey the heavens'.
It shows part of a church that illustrates the links between New Zealand and the Polynesian
homeland of Hawaiki - Te Pohotīraha accepted Te Rauparaha's challenge and the sacred soil
from the altar of Rai'atea (Rangiātea) in Hawaiki, brought to New Zealand on the Tainui canoe
centuries before, was buried directly under the altar of the church; Rangiātea is one of several
places in New Zealand named after a part of Hawaiki.
It reveals the influence that the Anglican Church and, in particular, the missionary Octavius
Hadfield had on local Māori after his arrival in November 1839 - contemporary European
commentators estimated that upwards of 1,000 men were involved in building the church, and
while the first service at Rangiātea was held in 1849 to celebrate Hadfield's return to Ōtaki,
construction was not completed until 1851.
It highlights the art of tukutuku, or the decorative knotted latticework interior panels commonly
used in Māori whare (meeting houses) - this technique involves weaving dyed strips of kiekie,
a native epiphyte, onto a lattice-like frame made up of vertical slats; as well as being things of
aesthetic beauty, tukutuku are an integral part of the storytelling of each whare.
It shows the weaving of the purapura whetū, or myriad of stars pattern, which is said to be
based on the patterns of the Milky Way - the panels form part of a unique blend of Māori and
English church design; the ridge-pole, fashioned from a single totara tree, represented the
belief in the one Christian God, while the three central pillars symbolised the Holy Trinity; the
mangopare, or hammerhead shark pattern, painted on the rafters, signified power and
prestige; Rangiātea lacked the intricate carving of other Māori churches, as the missionaries
considered this to be heathen and inappropriate for a Christian house of worship; carved
elements, such as the altar rail and pulpit, were introduced later.
It highlights work on the third restoration project for Rangiātea - it began in 1947 and involved
replacing the floor and most of the tukutuku panels under the guidance of Sir Āpirana Ngata,
who brought in experts from the east coast to support the local weavers who worked on the
tukutuku panels.
© Curriculum Corporation and Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, 2006, except where
indicated under Acknowledgements
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