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Mana whenua have unveiled a spectacular pou whenua to mark the completion of the Ōpaoa River bridge project in Wairau Blenheim today.
Master carver Reg Thompsett (Tainui, Ngāti Māniapoto) was selected by the three iwi of the area to carve the pou whenua which marks the northern entrance to Wairau and represents their mana whenua.
The 7 metre tall pou whenua was blessed and unveiled Saturday morning by mana whenua Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Rārua and Rangitāne o Wairau, along with interpretation panels that share the history of the mana whenua, the Wairau region and the history of the bridge.
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The Ōpaoa River has been a landmark on a major travel and trading route for centuries.
“Our tupuna represented in the pou whenua and the interpretation panels connect us, and all who see them, to this place and our history," the three iwi said in a Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency statement.
“We thank Waka Kotahi and Marlborough District Council for recognising the importance of that history, and for improving safety for road users as we move forward into the future.
“Fittingly this project has successfully provided the opportunity for our cultural narrative to be celebrated and acknowledged and provides a foundation for further collaborations.”
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In an interview with Waka Kotahi soon after he was commissioned to carve the pou by the iwi, Thompsett explained his process.
"They give me the stories of the ancestors which they want me to portray in the pou. So one will tell me one story and so forth. So like one might be good at fishing, one might be good in the bush, one might be good for weaving, so I've got to incorporate that."
He said he visualises a design in his mind, "When people ask me to do a pre-plan or a pre-drawing, my pre-drawing is in my head. I don't put it to paper."
The master carver, who described the project as "a big honour", told Waka Kotahi his greatest sense of accomplishment comes when people look at his finished work and are simply lost for words.
"The biggest thing that I ever get from when I finish a project is when people look at it and they can't express their words. When someone looks at it and goes and says nothing that is the biggest mana that is bestowed upon me."
The blessing marked the official completion of the project, including construction of the new bridge over the Ōpaoa River, landscaping of the area and restoration of the historic Opawa Bridge for use as a walking and cycling facility.
While the new bridge and walking and cycling facilities on the old bridge are now fully open to the public, works such as installing permanent lighting for the pou whenua, and remediation works on the land around the project area, will continue over the coming months.
While the historic Opawa “banana” Bridge is just 5.5 metres wide, the new one is ten metres wide, making it much safer for trucks and wider vehicles to safely pass each other.
The $22.7 million bridge project started construction just over two years ago in September 2018.