Tuku Taiao — Pae Atea

Ko te reo o te taiao,
te tupu o te māramatanga

Through nature's voice,
we generate understanding

Kua hangahanga mai te āhua o te taiao i ēnei mea te kōpiringa, me te kōhurihanga; o te rā, o ngā aorangi me ngā whetū, te haurāngai-tipua, me te tūāhuatanga te mahi nei i te huringa wai, e hono ana te rangi me te whenua. Koia nei te mana o tō tātou taiao, he awenga mō ia rā, arā ko ōna āhuahua, ngā tae hirahira, ngā momo rongo, me ngā rau kakano. Ka ūhia mai ngā taikura nei hei whakakā i a tairongo e hoki atu ai ā tātou mahara, e hoki atu ai ā tātou whakaaro.

Koia nei ko reo o te taiao, ā, e tūhonohono ai tātou ki ōna tohu karanga katoa. E pūmau ai te rere i waenganui i a tātou me te taiao, me hiki tātou i te mānuka e turaki ai i ngā taupā te whanake nei ā moroki noa nei, tae ana ki te whānuitanga, me te whārarahinga hoki o ngā whaitua taone nui. Kua mātua warea te tangata ki te taiao, ā, kua ngū hoki te kura whakahirahira o tōna reo.

Ko ngā hua toi ahurea, me ngā hua toi auaha te kaiherehere tonu i a tātou ki te taiao. Heoi ano, ia hautope, ia whatu, ia whiu o te ringa he homaitanga nui nō te taiao. Ahakoa te whārahirahi, ngā tai kura, mā roto mai pea i ngā tukanga mahi, ko tā te mahi toi he whakatika atu i a tātou kia pū kotahi ai, e whakaputa ai āna karere, tōna reo.

I roto a tātou mahi toi, ka whakarewaia te taiao me āna kura awenga hei ārahi i a tātou ia rā, ia rā, ka whakamihia tōna wāhi e whakaora nei i a tātou. He hau kōrero kāore ōna here, tērā ia kua tipu ake i te āhurutanga, me tō tātou pūmautanga ki te taiao.
Ko te tuku nei he karanga ki ngā whāinga o te taiao. E kōrero ana mō tōna mana, me te kōingo nōku ki te whakamāori e rewa ake ai tōna reo. He kura whakahirahira ēnei e puta ai te reo taketake o te taiao, he okiokinga, ā he ohonga mō te tangata me tana tū ki te ao nei.

The taiao (natural world) is shaped by interconnected, cyclical movements; of the sun, of planets and stars, of the cardinal characteristics of the winds and the phenomena that occur through the hydrological cycle that binds earth and sky. These elemental rhythms influence our daily lives, forming patterns, and generating dynamic colour, tone, and textures. The inherent algorithms ignite our senses and retain our human memories.

This is the language of the taiao, and we are inextricably bound to its communication. Maintaining our fluency to converse with the taiao is continually being challenged by the parameters of modern life, including the expanding geometries and massing of our urban spaces. In trying to master our environment, we are supressing its voice.

Our material culture and creative processes continue to reaffirm this connection, however. Each cut, weave, or stroke is built on the immutable influence of nature. Whether in the geometries, the natural characteristics, or through the process of making, our mahi toi (arts) continues to uphold this intimate interaction, and channel its messages.

Through our arts, we elevate the presence of the taiao in our everyday lives, and we acknowledge the prominence of it to our wellbeing. It is an uninterrupted conversation, generated by the comfort of our inextricability with nature.