Tū mai te haeata ki runga i te arahanga hōu i Taipā, ko ngā arawhiti e rua kua roa e tāria ana, ā ko te āwhero nui ka whakakotahi anō i te hapori.
Ko te arawhiti i te awa o Oruru i whakapuarehia ki te karakia i te ata hāpara nei i mua i te huranga mai o ngā whakairo ki ōna pito e rua, me he waka tōna āhua. He pouwhenua whakamaumaharatanga mō te tipuna, mō Te Parata hoki i huraina me te kōhatu whakamaumaharatanga mō te pakanga, i hūnukuhia ki tōna wāhi hōu.
Hei tā Ahorangi Makere Mutu, hea o Ngāti Kahu, e hurō ana te iwi i tēnei whakawhanaungatanga atu ki a Waka Kotahi Aotearoa, kua kaha ake i tēnei kaupapa.
"Mai i te tīmatanga, i mahi tahi te hapū o Matakairiri me ngā hapū o Te Pātū i te taha o NZTA, koia nei te take, he tino harikoa a Ngāti Kahu. Koia nei ngā mahi a Ngāti Kahu me NZTA."
Ko ngā mahi hanga i te arahanga 107m te roa nei i tīmata i te tau 2017. He tauihu, he taurapa kei ngā pito, anō nei he waka hourua. Ko tōna hanganga e tuitui ana i ngā kōrero tuku iho o te rohe o Taipā mō te whakatere waka moana, he wāhi i ū tuatahi atu ai a Kupe i tana taunga mai ki Aotearoa.
"Ko te tūmanako mō tēnei pou, ki te akongia e ngā tikanga me ngā hītori i roto i a Ngāti Kahu," te kī a Niki Tauhara nō Te Pātū.
Nō Taipā te māma o Shane Jones, te Minita Āwhina i ngā Take Waka, nāna te rīpene i kokoti i te ata nei.
"E ao te kaupapa! He tohu, he tauira pai nā te mea tēnei arawhata, tōna rite ki te waka, he hari i te tangata, he hari i te moemoeā, he hari anō hoki i te wawata kia kōtahi te whiu o te wae i waenganui i a tātou katoa o Aotearoa."
Ko te kōhatu whakamaumaharatanga mō te Pakanga Tuatahi o te Ao i hūnukuhia atu i te wāhi whakatū waka ki te taha raki o te arahanga.
He mea nui anō tēnā ki a Waka Kotahi, e ai ki a Andrew Thackwray.
"It was really important that we worked closely with local hapū to acknowledge Taipā’s rich history, the significance of its river and estuary and the role of the bridge in the town’s future."
Mai anō, mai anō ētahi taurapa, tauihu waka hoki nō te rohe nei e pupuritia ana e Tāmaki Paenga Hira. Ā, kua whakahokia anō ki Taipā kia kitea e ngā uri.
"Ngāti Kahu was able to see the taonga that are in the museum in Auckland, as well as the young people, were able to get an understanding of the significance of waka in this area. So their tūpuna Hekenukumai Puhipi who saw a lot of these taonga and who actually got some of the designs off them and now you see it on the waka Te Aurere and Ngāhiraka," te kī a Tauhara.
Kua tōmua te otinga o te arahanga $19 miriona te wāriu, kia rite ai mō te haruru o te wā raumati. Hei tā Thackwray, he mea āwhina i te rahinga ake o te taupori, i te huhua hoki o ngā waka ka hua ake i tēnā.
“The old one-lane bridge on the Twin Coast Discovery Route was often a summer congestion point with delays and safety concerns at the bridge and nearby intersections. The new bridge comes with additional roading and town centre improvements that benefit the local community as well as people passing through. There is improved traffic flow and walking and cycling facilities in a safer environment.”
Kua whakaritea he hononga ipurangi ahokore ki te arahanga hōu, e āhei ai te hunga pīkoko ki te ruku i te hōhonutanga o ngā kōrero a Ngāti Kahu ki Taipa.
E manawa ora ana a Mākere Mutu, he tuatahitanga noa iho tēnei rangitāmirotanga o tōna iwi ki a Waka Kōtahi.
"Te roa o Ngāti kahu e whawhai ana kia rongo ngā tari kāwanatanga, kia rongo ngā kaunihera i a mātou. I tēnei wā ka kitea e te katoa, te hua e puta mai ana, mēnā ka 'hakarongo ki ngā hapū o Ngāti Kahu."
