The Aoraki panel was designed to acknowledge Ngāi Tahu as Tangata Whenua. Chevrons of the niho taniwha pattern create the form of the mountain Aoraki, which might well be seen as a taniwha by the disrespectful or the unprepared. Stitches of white kiekie indicate the mountain's snowy covering while the repeated chevrons signify the layers of its geological structure. The mountain reaches up to the purapura whetu stars in the sky. Two small white niho taniwha triangles on either side of the mountain allude to the southern alps; and in the foreground, three triangles of pīngao represent tussock covered foothills.
This page reproduces information from page 28 of the booklet Pūawaitanga o te Ringa - Fruits of our busy hands
This panel is on display at Waruwarutū, Tuakiri | Identity, Level 2, Tūranga.
