Ngā Ara Tipuna

About Ngā Ara Tipuna    

Ngā Ara Tipuna will see seven historic pa sites in Central Hawke’s Bay brought to life with vibrant displays, carvings and digital storytelling, showing the untold stories of pre-European Māori life in the district.

Who had been involved?

Ngā Ara Tipuna is a partnership between Tamatea Hapū, Te Taiwhenua o Tamatea and Central Hawke’s Bay District Council. Award winning ‘place-based storytellers’ Locales have been engaged to manage and deliver the project. A governance entity (Charitable Trust) has been established to have ultimate ownership of the assets when they are created.

What is the plan for the future?

Once the first seven Pa sites are developed and opened to the public the project will look to connect to other pa and historic sites in the district. These could include places such as Lake Whatuma. The project team will also look to develop cultural tours and experiences for locals and visitors alike to experience the sites, although many of the places will be free to explore at any time and have digital content for you to view on your phone.

Ngā Ara Tipuna will be a cultural and education treasure that the people of Tamatea/Central Hawke’s Bay can be proud of. It will showcase our shared history and stories, and provide a place to share these stories with visitors to the district, as well as providing a valuable resource for teachers and students. This project is just the beginning in how we as a district tell and share our unique and vibrant history.

Latest News

Ngā Ara Tipuna coming to life

 The harvesting of about 350 kānuka poles that will become an imposing 40-metre long palisade at a key Ngā Ara Tipuna site – Pukekaihau Pā – has begun.

Ngā Ara Tipuna, in Central Hawke’s Bay, celebrates the stories of the people of Tamatea, focused on six culturally significant sites in and around Waipukurau. The project, which marries the historic sites with hi-tech access to the stories of Tamatea, is on schedule to be completed mid-year. The free self-guided tour will bring the history of the rohe and its people to life.

read more about this news article here

Fundraising

The total project cost for this first phase of the project is $3.8 Million. We secured $2.8 Million from the Provincial Growth Fund in January this year, and thanks to several other funders (Central Hawke’s Bay District Council, Eastern and Central Community Trust, Heretaunga-Tamatea Settlement Trust, and Lottery Environment and Heritage Fund) we are now only $150,000 away from being fully funded.We are looking for community partners and corporate sponsors to help us achieve full funding for this project.

What happens if we don't get the final funding?

If we don’t raise the last $150k the project will still go ahead. We may have to delay a few of the final items until we do raise the money; for example, the landscaping, planting and park furniture (seats, rubbish bins etc.) on Hunter Park may have to be delayed until we find the money.

What happens if we manage to get more funding than we need?

Ideally we would like to raise over the $150k we need to complete this project. This would mean that the Trust who will oversee the Pa sites can build some reserves to ensure that new digital stories can be told, and we will be able to get a start on what’s next; for example an environmental centre at Lake Whatuma.

Find out more about the project here

2021 Timelines