Pā Harakeke

Pā harakeke

• A plantation of special varieties of NZ flax, has been established as a shared project between Orokonui Ecosanctuary – Te Korowai o Mihiwaka and Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki. It is located at the ecosanctuary, and plantings began in 2008.

Kaupapa/Vision

1. To provide open access to high quality varieties of harakeke for local weavers and other artists
2. To care for these special plants, and the mātauraka/knowledge pertaining to their use, as a taoka/treasure to be passed on for future generations.
3. To provide a related attraction of interest to visitors to the ecosanctuary, emphasising the long cultural link which has existed between Māori and the natural environment in Aotearoa
4. To provide a rich food source for nectar-feeding birds living within the ecosanctuary area.

           He taoka tuku iho mō tātou, ā mō kā uri ā muri ake nei
           A treasure passed down for us, and for our descendants in the future

Whakataukī

Hūtia te rito o te harakeke
Kei hea te kōmako e kō?
Kī mai ki ahau
He aha te mea nui o tēnei ao?
Māku e kī atu
He tākata, he tākata, he tākata

• When the heart is torn from the flax bush, where then will the bellbird sing?

If you ask me, what is the greatest thing in the world? I will reply, it is people

• Not only does this whakataukī emphasise the mana and tapu of all humanity, but it also recognises our inherent fragility, our interdependence with the natural world, and the need for us to understand and take responsibility for the consequences of our actions.

Where is the Pā Harakeke?

Located outside the predator-poof fence, and beside the driveway into the ecosanctuary, the pā harakeke can be readily identified by the two pou whenua/symbolic posts which mark the entrance. From here the track follows a koru/spiral in towards the central weaving platform which is designed to reflect a web woven by the very first weaver of all – pūkāwerewere/spider.

Using the Pā Harakeke

This area is open to all visitors to the ecosanctuary for their enjoyment and use. Once the harakeke plants have become established after about three years, weavers are welcome to harvest leaves, provided they follow the tikaka/guidelines set out below which will help ensure the health and sustainability of these plants. Any weaver seeking a cutting/fan from any of the varieties for transplanting is invited to discuss this with the rūnaka office. Any visitors or users of the pā harakeke are invited to help with its maintenance, in ways such as trimming plants, weeding, cutting grass or by koha/donation. This can be discussed with either the ecosanctuary manager or the rūnaka office.

           Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi
           Through your contribution, and my contribution, the project will flourish

Tikaka/Guidelines

Description of harakeke (flax)

• Do not cut either the rito (1)
  • or the awhi rito (2)
• Use only the tūpuna (3&4) leaves
• Dispose neatly of any leaf material that is cut off on the compost piles around the outside of the pā harakeke
• Do not harvest harakeke when kōrari/flower stalks are actively growing on the plant
• Cut the leaves so that both sides of each fan are left balanced
• Do not harvest harakeke during the rain
  • in a frost
    • or at night
• Within the pā harakeke, do not eat while you are working with harakeke
• Traditionally, women who are pregnant, menstruating or unwell do not harvest harakeke

Plant Species

• The pā harakeke contains three groups of plants of special cultural significance:

1. Harakeke. Lowland or swamp flax. Phormium tenax. This plant was of immense importance to Māori in former times. Its strong and flexible leaves and whītau/muka/fibre can readily be used for kākahu/clothing, whāriki/mats, kete/baskets, taura/ropes, kupeka/nets, and hundreds of other purposes. Many parts of the plant also have rokoa/medicinal uses, and the kōrari/flower stalks were used for rafts and floats, while the nectar was used to sweeten other foods. Many of these cultural traditions are being maintained and expanded upon today by weavers and other artists, and traditional health practitioners. Leaves of this species can grow up to 3m long, and the flowers on the kōrari are usually reddish, with the seed pods standing erect.
2. Wharariki. Mountain or coastal flax. Phormium cookianum. While being of lesser importance as a source of fibre, this smaller plant also had a number of special uses, and was important in areas where harakeke was not growing. These flowers usually have a yellow tinge, and the seed pods hang down, and are often twisted.
3. Other plants. Near the centre of the pā harakeke are growing samples of a number of other native plants with specialist cultural uses for weaving and related purposes. These include:

• Houi - Narrow-leafed lacebark
• Hoheria angustifolia & other spp
• Kāretu - Scented holy grass
• Hierochloe redolens
• Kiekie - Freycinetia banksii
• Neinei - Dracophyllum traversii & other spp
• Pātītī - Taru - Silver tussock.
• Poa cita & other spp
• Pīkao - Golden sand sedge Desmoschoenus spiralis
• Pirita.
• Kareao. Supplejack. Ripogonum scandens
• Taramea. Papaī. Speargrass. Aciphylla colensoi & other spp
• Tī. Kouka. Maru. Cabbage tree. Cordyline australis
• Tikumu. Mountain daisy. Celmisia semi-cordata & other spp
• Toetoe. Kākaho. Cortaderia richardii & other spp
• Tōī. Mountain cabbage tree. Cordyline indivisa
• Tōtara. Podocarpus totara

Harakeke Varieties

• Because of its immense cultural importance, many of the diverse range of varieties or cultivars of harakeke have been gathered, protected, treasured and shared by Māori over the centuries, and have been passed down to us. A certain variety may be valued because of the strength, length or colour of its whītau/muka, while another may perhaps be cherished because of its flexibility and easy for working by young fingers. For some of these varieties this wealth of mātauraka/cultural knowledge is also being confirmed and supplemented by ongoing contemporary technological research.

The most important qualities of each of these varieties can best be explored by weavers working directly with the plant material, and sharing this experience with others. There are however other important diagnostic features which can help us distinguish between these varieties just by looking closely at them, such as: Growth habit of the plant Leaf width, length, thickness, flexibility and colour, including colour of leaf margins and keel for similar aged leaves Flower colour and form Kōrari number, size and seed pod shape It should be realised however that the location, soil type, exposure, etc of a plant can greatly influence some of these features

The majority of the varieties in this pā harakeke have come from two main sources: Dunedin Botanic Gardens. A large collection of harakeke and wharariki varieties were donated to the gardens in 1909 by the Matthews family. Plants from over a hundred of these varieties are now growing in the pā harakeke, some of which are thought to be distinctly southern varieties. Research carried out jointly by the University of Otago and a team of weavers has recently added greatly to the knowledge relating to a number of these varieties. Rene Orchiston Collection. Harakeke and wharariki varieties collected from weavers and Māori settlements around NZ between the 1950s and the 1980s by Rene Orchiston of Gisborne, are now part of a national collection which is cared for by Landcare Research at Lincoln. Some of these varieties have either come directly from Lincoln, or via other donors who have been caring for some varieties from this collection in their own plantations. Mātauraka related to these varieties is well-documented.

Weavers are encouraged to share their experience gained in using any of these varieties. The pā harakeke is also receptive to the donation of any of their own treasured varieties that weavers may, from time to time, offer to share in this way.

Some further information about the special qualities and suggested uses of some of these many varieties can be found on the rūnaka website www.puketeraki.co.nz

Other websites and publications can also provide a wealth of information on this unique plant, its ecological importance, and its rich cultural associations. Birdlife in the Pā Harakeke

Located as it is immediately adjacent to the pest-free enclosure of the ecosanctuary, the pā harakeke’s birdlife is also something special. The sweet nectar in the flowers of the harakeke and wharariki provides a rich seasonal food supply for tūī and korimako/bellbird, and insectivorous birds help keep the plants free from the destructive effects of the native window and notching caterpillars. This damage can also be averted by keeping the plants well-trimmed, with no build-up of dead leaves around their base. Other birds which frequent the pā harakeke include kererū and tomtit/miromiro, and you may also notice a fernbird/mātā there.