Suspended along the angled ridgepole of the terminal ceiling in front of the Arrivals and Departures gates, a waka locates all who pass beneath it within the stories and identity of this place. It functions as a tomokanga - a gateway or threshold - shaping how Te Tauihu (the top of the South Island) is encountered, understood and remembered.
The kaupapa (initiative) was years in the making. Developed through a genuine partnership between Ngā Iwi e Waru o Te Tauihu (the eight iwi of the top of the South Island) and Nelson Airport, Aorere Ararau reflects a shared commitment to strengthening the visibility and presence of toi Māori within one of this region's most prominent civic spaces.
The name Aorere Ararau was gifted to the work by Rōpata Taylor. "Aorere" carries the resonance of Te Tai o Aorere (the Māori name for Tasman Bay) and the naming traditions of ancestors. Ao references clouds, sky, horizon, while Rere is to flow, to move, to fly. "Ararau" speaks of the many pathways, journeys and opportunities that converge here, moving in many directions.
The names grounds the work in this place, in a narrative of movement, and provides clear connection between Māori waka traditions and the contemporary role of the airport.
Kōwhaiwhai patterning runs along the hull of the waka and extends onto the glass facade of the terminal. Designed by Fayne Robinson, these patterns carry the people of this place. Eight whekū represent the iwi tangata whenua of Te Tauihu. At the centre, a paired motif acknowledges manuhiri and tauiwi - those who visit here and those who have made this place home - affirming a shared identity shaped through love for this place. As light moves across the terminal, the kōwhaiwhai is cast as a shadow, extending the work beyond the waka itself and into a wider experience within the airport.
Aorere Ararau spans 22 metres and required more than 1000 hours to manufacture and install. Its creation reflects a sustained process of collaboration between iwi, kaumātua, artists, cultural practitioners, designers, engineers, fabricators and airport representatives. Its strength and integrity comes from that collective effort.
Aorere Ararau weaves together the people and places of Te Tauihu. It speaks to arrival and departure, movement and origin, past and present, above and below. It holds the memory of the epic migrations of tūpuna (ancestors) alongside those of today, and locates us all within a single, continuous story.