Hikina taku mana
Poupoua ki te whenua
Taku mana tupuna
Taku mana takata,
Taku pouwhenua e!

Our tupuna journeyed across the whenua of Te Waipounamu leaving markers of our identity in the names and stories of our peaks, rivers, lakes and oceans. The most obvious of these were pouwhenua, carved posts proclaiming tribal identity and mana.

The Ngāi Tahu Property Pouwhenua Project is inspired by this tradition, aiming to raise the profile and enhance the mana of Ngāi Tahu through the inclusion of major cultural artworks in each of our iwi commercial properties that speak of our ancestral connections to land and place. The Pouwhenua Project is a re-visioning of tradition, signaling a reinvestment of iwi identity, pride and spirit into the land, ensuring the footprint of our commerce resonates the footprint of our culture.

The first marker of the Pouwhenua Project is the Queenstown Post Office Precinct where the story of the famed ancestor, Hakitekura, was drawn upon to inspire iconic design elements that are uniquely Ngāi Tahu and speak to our past, present and future.

View a collection of video telling the story of Ngāi Tahu's connection with Queenstown, the tradition of Hakitekura, the pouwhenua project and the art works at TE KARAKA »