Te Whanake - Our Blog
Our place Te Uma
Ko au te whenua, Ko te whenua ko au.
I am the land and the land is me
Te Uma, our urupā (cemetery) in Motueka is more than just a place to return our whānau to the land, it’s also a place of revival, a place where a view of our Te Maatu can be taken in from all angles, it gives life to our traditional knowledge, and promotes mana whenua to the Motueka community and visitors to the region.
Since 2008 Ngāti Rārua Ātiawa ki Motueka whānau and hapū have been walking the carved paths and gardens of Te Uma and soaking up the knowledge from the whare, Whakapaetuara. But to get it to this point a lot of work went in to its development.
In fact discussions about where to develop an urupā go back as far as September 1996 where the late Robbie Park, Pat Park’s father, explained in a meeting of the Trustees that he had been looking at ‘some land on the hill’ and suggested it was an ideal location for an urupā.
The late John Morgan, also at the meeting, put forward that it was a good idea to start preparing the area while recognising that we wouldn’t need an urupā for quite some time. Good thing the kōrero started when it did because the few Motueka small urupā available could no longer be used for burials. John Morgan and Robbie Park’s son Pat are both buried at Te Uma.
Following the resource consent process and approval to use the land as an urupā, development began. ‘Old man’ gorse was cleared from the hillside and indigenous species such as kawakawa were planted. Walking tracks were formed alongside the hill and where a drainage ditch once was a pond was developed. Two bridges over the pond along with seats and carved po add further dimensions to this once sheep grazing land.
One of the most significant aspects of Te Uma is the whare, Whakapaetuara, designed and constructed by local businesses, Whakapaetuara is a place of knowledge. Inside the whare are information panels about the history of our Trust, our tūpuna, and our whenua.
Because of the emphasis of developing Te Uma as a representation of our natural environment, while demonstrating modern conversation practices, Te Uma is often a focal point for learning about our story and developing connectedness of our people with the whenua.
While being a special place to mana whenua ki Motueka, and as waahi tapu, it is also a place for the community to expand their knowledge of our people on these lands.
Te Uma Urupā has 68 plots for descendants of the original land owners when their time comes to be returned to the whenua, several of which have already been claimed. We also welcome mothers to bury their newborn’s whenua (placenta) at Te Uma.
The Trust encourage all whānau and hapū, especially those visiting from outside the rohe, to visit this sacred place, read and learn the kōrero , look out over Te Maatu, and explore the gardens.
