'TE POU HERENGA WAKA
THE POUWHENUA
Ānānā tōku pou puipuiaki
He pou herenga tāngata, he pou herenga waka
Tamarahi ki te rangi, poupoua ki te papa
Rūruku puananī, Rirerire paparanga
Whano, whano, haere mai te toki
Haumi e, hui e, tāiki e!
I whakatūria ai tēnei pou hei whakanui i ngā iwi tuatahi o tēnei whenua; ko Waitaha, ko Ngāti Māmoe, ko Ngāi Tahu hoki, nā rātou anō i whakakākahu te mata o Papatūānuku ki te tōpuni o te tapa whenua.
Pouwhenua rise out of the earth like the trees they are carved from. They symbolise the ancestral ties of the people of that region and tell stories of greatness and survival. The pouwhenua is named Te Pou Herenga Waka which means a post which brings all peoples together. This is embodied in the blade that depicts three layers of tribal settlement in Canterbury: Waitaha, Ngāti Māmoe and Ngāi Tahu. The bold figure at its base represents the spirits of our city's founders, both Māori and Pākehā, who migrated from afar to plant their roots in this land. The rear of the pouwhenua reflects the important waterways and food gathering sites within Christchurch.'
'This pouwhenua was carved by Poutini Ngāi Tahu carver Fayne Robinson, assisted by Mahana Coulston and James York. The totara was gifted by the Clayton whānau from Whaimaunga.'
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