Kia ora, nau mai, haere mai, welcome.

Throughout the website you’ll see the kiwaha design.

Created by Len Hetet (Ngāti Tuwharetoa, Ngāti Maniapoto, Te Atiawa, Ngāti Apa), the design captures the essence of the kiwaha or saying: Kia akiaki te mana o te tangata. 

Len drew creative inspiration from five principles and what they mean to him in the context of the kiwaha:

Māhaki: Lead with grace, Humility, Help those who ask, Be strong, Listen

Whānau: Lineage, Genealogy, Stories, Spirituality

Whakapapa: Me, Family, Sub tribe, Tribe

Kotahitanga: Working together, Understanding one another, Connecting, Linking

Manaaki tangata: Helping each other, Supporting each other, Mind and soul

The design captures the importance and strength of community and working together, or as Len puts it: “When one is linked to many, the link will never break.”

The koru shapes represent the one or the individual that is bound by the essence of whānau, whakapapa and manaakitanga. The haehae (arrow) pattern represents the pathways from the four corners of the earth coming together as one creating a message of kotahitanga and mana.