Artists, storytellers, educators and historians have come together to create pieces for the Hohou te Rongo exhibition at Tairāwhiti Museum, sharing their perspectives on the 1865 battle of Waerenga-a-Hika and its lasting impact on the region.
Trust Tairāwhiti supported Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki Trust with $65k towards the exhibition, now open at the museum until March 2026.
Hohou te Rongo means to cultivate peace. Marking 160 years since the battle, the exhibition offers space to understand the complexity of the 1865 events, bringing together taonga from the past and contemporary works to encourage deeper kōrero.
Exhibition curator, Tai Kerekere, says shaping the exhibition required care because of the weight of the kaupapa.
“At its core, the exhibition is about healing and acknowledging what was happening at that time and the healing between different iwi, different hapū and the different kōrero that exists about those events. Everyone carries their own stories, and kōrero passed down through their whānau of the battle at Waerenga-a-Hika, and this exhibition creates space for those perspectives to sit alongside each other.”
Artists from each iwi connected to the kōrero, research and learnings about the battle, as well as learnings about times before and after, created new works for the exhibition.
“For myself, it was emotional. Creating the piece was challenging because I have whānau from both sides who were part of the battle,” says artist Hiwirori Hatea.
Rina Kerekere, exhibition co-lead, highlighted how bringing historic taonga and contemporary works together creates a different angle of healing.
“It bridges the past and the present in a way that is not often done in exhibitions. This balance helps create a foundation for ongoing healing across iwi, whānau and generations.”
Tamariki from Te Karaka Area School, Patutahi School and Te Kura Kaupapa Māori ō Whatatutu created artworks for the exhibition after learning the history.
“It was important to get our tamariki involved. They’ll remember being part of the exhibition, and later they’ll tell the story to their tamariki and mokopuna. That keeps our culture and history alive, especially when commemorations come around again,” says Tai.
Tai hopes the exhibition prompts people to explore the history further.
“The exhibition opens pathways for kōrero about what was here before, during and after the battle. Our taonga especially speak to the aftermath. We hope it gives people more appreciation of the history and encourages them to do some of their own research, even into their own whānau stories.”
Hiwirori says the exhibition is a significant step toward ongoing healing.
“It’s challenging, but we have to move forward, and this is definitely a good start to a forever healing process.”