Te Papa welcomed a Maraenui community group from Napier, Te Matau-a-Māui Hawke’s Bay, in a pōwhiri to formally hand over four banners carried in the Hīkoi mō te Tiriti on 19 November 2024 in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, and collected by Te Papa. Curator History Stephanie Gibson describes the journeys the banners have been on.
Banner whānau
Led by tutor and artist Maungarongo (Ron) Te Kawa (Ngāti Porou), the group brought 18 more wonderful banners with them to be reunited for the day with the four collected by Te Papa, creating a spectacular ‘banner whānau’. The banners melded different cultural expressions through vibrant textiles, imagery and text, ranging from sari cloth to te reo Māori .
The event was a beautiful demonstration of whanaungatanga – strong community relationships forged through shared experiences and working together.
The Maraenui community banner project
The four banners Te Papa collected were part of a group made for the Maraenui community by community members themselves and volunteers from around Te Matau-a-Māui Hawke’s Bay, regardless of sewing ability. Raewyn Kingi initiated the banner project to brighten up community events such as Maraenui Christmas in the Park. Neill Gordon (co-founder of pro-Tiriti organisation Tangata Tiriti Aotearoa) contacted textile artist and educator Ron Te Kawa to be their tutor.
Twenty-three volunteers attended a workshop in Napier on 16 and 17 November 2024. They worked all weekend and made 10 banners from recycled textiles. Ron Te Kawa was very ‘hands on’ during the workshop evidenced in his influence on their rich designs and patterning.
Connections to the Hīkoi mō te Tiriti
Coincidentally, at the same time as the workshop, the Hīkoi mō te Tiriti was travelling through Hawke’s Bay. As they were sewing the banners, thousands of people were marching in Heretaunga Hastings. As Neill Gordon told me: ‘Many of us there at the workshop really wished we could be marching but though we stuck to our commitment to banner-making for Maraenui, the hīkoi was uppermost on everyone’s minds … it’s no surprise that Tiriti designs emerged that day. They are very much a product of their time’.
Members from the sewing workshop decided to take four of their new banners with them to be part of the arrival of the Hīkoi mō te Tiriti in Wellington on 19 November 2024. Gordon recalls: ‘amongst the sea of red, black and white Tino flags, our banners really stood out, and many people identified the trademark style of Ron Te Kawa in them … They generated a lot of love’.
The banners were particularly distinctive on the day of the Hīkoi – their designs and motifs conveyed a powerful message of unity and kotahitanga.
Background
The Hīkoi mō te Tiriti was in response to the ACT Party’s controversial Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill released in 2024. Toitū te Tiriti (founded in late 2023) called for a Hīkoi which began in Te Kāo, Northland, on 10 November and finished in Wellington on Tuesday 19 November 2024. The bill was defeated in Parliament on its second reading on 10 April 2025.
Hīkoi mō te Tiriti on Wikipedia
Further information
- Read: Maraenui Banners Heading for Te Papa | News Archive | Napier City Council
- Watch a short video on this story from Napier City Council
