Pātiki or pātikitiki (flounder) designs are based on the lozenge or diamond shape of the flounder fish. They can be quite varied within the basic shape. According to Ngāti Porou tradition, the pātikitiki significance relates to being able to provide 100% - not only for the husband, or the whānau, but for the whole iwi. It acknowledges the fact that women were always looking for ways to supplement their food supplies, even in the dark when the flounders came, while their men were sound asleep.
This page reproduces information from page 29 of the booklet Pūawaitanga o te Ringa - Fruits of our busy hands
These panels are on display at Waruwarutū, Tuakiri | Identity, Level 2, Tūranga.
