Waerenga-a-Hika: Hohou te Rongo (2025)

A new exhibition  at Tairāwhiti Museum, Hohou te Rongo marks the siege that took place 160 years ago on Waerenga-a-Hika near Gisborne. 

In 1865, 200 colonial troops with 300 Māori allies attacked the pā site where hundreds of Māori families lived. During the battle, which lasted five days, 71 Māori living at Waerenga-a-Hika pā and 11 government soldiers were killed. Many people were wounded, captured and deported to the Chatham Islands.

To mark these reflections of history and time, creatives, story tellers, educators and historians have come together to share their stories, perspectives of past, present and future, through an exhibition of empowerment and identity.

Curated by artists Nick Tupara, Tai Kerekere and Kaaterina Kerekere in collaboration with Tapunga Nepe, director of Tairāwhiti Museum, it serves as a bridge towards understanding. 

The name of the exhibition means ‘cultivating peace’. It is designed to stimulate reflection, discussion and healing.

It features a collection of historic pieces including taonga with connection to that period, people and place, and contemporary artworks.