Kerr St BookletFlip Book

SUBMISSION TO


TUPUNA MAUNGA O TAMAKI



MAKAURAU AUTHORITY























































FOR THE LEASE OF 16 KERR STREET,

OCCUPYING MAUNGA TAKARUNGA



Our respectful regards to the Maunga Authority to whom the care and
protection of the maunga of Tamaki Makaurau has been

returned.



We recognise that Maunga Takarunga is one of 14 maunga whose care
is now legislated for and who now fall under the aegis of Ngā Mana

Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau, represented by the collective group of
the following iwi and hapū: (i) Ngāi Taiki Tāmaki; and

(ii) Ngāti Maru; and (iii) Ngāti Pāoa; and (iv) Ngāti Tamaoho; and (v)
Ngāti Tamaterā; and (vi) Ngāti Te ata; and (vii) Ngāti

Whanaunga; and (viii) Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara; and (ix) Ngāti Whātua
Ōrākei; and (x) Te Ākitai Waiohua; and (xi) Te Kawerau ā Maki; and

(xii) Te Patukirikiri; and (xiii) hapu of Ngāti Whātua
(other than Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara and Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei) whose

members are beneficiaries of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua, including
Te Taoū not descended from Tuperiri.



We understand that ‘The reservation of the part of Takarunga /Mount

Victoria that is a local Purpose (community buildings) reserve
subject to the Reserves Act 1977 is revoked’ and that the presence of

the Depot Artspace is contingent upon its alignment with the condi-
tions of the Maunga Authority, its values and concerns for the respect

and treatment of Maunga Takarunga.



We recognise there are implications for the Depot Artspace with re-
gard to the building at the foot of Takarunga we have occupied since

2003, when we were granted a lease by the North Shore City Council.



We respectfully submit that this building at 16 Kerr Street, for as long
as it has been in our care, has continued to reflect the Depot Artspace

philosophy of encouragement, support and inclusiveness and its re-
sponsiveness to the needs of the local community across all genera-

tions, backgrounds and ethnicities, as well as the needs and interests
of creative people on the unemployment benefit in the Auckland re-

gion who are seeking work in the creative sector.
We have also been conscientious in ensuring the above values and

practices are maintained with reference to the spirit and the

history of the maunga; the spirit, which is intrinsic to all maunga,
motu and whenua, being the nature of this earth, Papatuanuku,

manifest through all she gives birth to, all that grows from and is suc-
coured by her, and the history, which begins with human

habitation, for whenua, motu and maunga extend beyond time which
defines history. It is from this consciousness that our circular mantra,

‘creating an environment that encourages creating…..’ has been
formed. Circularity is a representation of infinity, both in the action of

creating and in the boundlessness of environment which is
unlimited by geography or social conditions. Each is the way of

Papatuanuku whose nature is to encourage or nurture creating in
its infinity of form.









































This mantra has been the guiding principle of the Depot since its
inception twenty one years ago and has been informed by a

knowledge of the local community and its history, of which the three
maunga, Takarunga, Maungauika and Takararo (while the latter is

largely quarried away it maintains a presence distinguishable by its
site, history and mana) are significant identities, particularly from

their time of occupation by fortified Maori settlements from about
1350 AD. While of local significance this history is of relevance na-

tionally, even internationally as maunga are traditionally the loci of
meaning both sacred and historical.





DEVONPORT MAUNGA:


PROJECTS OF CELEBRATION AND
COMMEMORATION BY THE DEPOT




We are aware that tangata whenua and many who live on the

Devonport peninsula find solace in the presence of the maunga
and are often drawn to their summits for spiritual and emotional

sustenance. We have captured this in our publication,
Turangawaewae: Sense of Place which celebrates Takarunga in both

image and story as its contributors describe what community com-
prises and means to them. It also features other landmarks such as Te

Taua Moana Marae and Ngati Paoa Memorial which look from Nga-
taringa Bay toward Takarunga.



The maunga are also a source of inspiration for artists in all

disciplines, reinforcing the nature of Papatuanuku in her form as
maunga, as awakening the creative. Maunga are the manifestation of

that “force which through the green fuse drives the flower” (Dylan
Thomas) and as such are integral to the creative energy that flows into

and from this area.



Margaret Lawler Bartlett (88), Devonport artist and peace activ-
ist says “Every day I climb Maungaika and when they are spraying

Maungauika, I climb her sister, Takarunga. I continue to paint these
two volcanoes.” Sculptor Helen Pollock experiences the maunga as a

provider of solace and comfort. “When I first walked across its back
yard and saw the solid round form that is Takarunga, I wanted to

throw my arms around it and stay (in Devonport).”



We have also undertaken a mapping project where the maps of the
peninsula have been filled in by visitors to our gallery and the

maunga are often highlighted as places of significance. (Attached is
an example of this project, which was part of an exhibition, titled

Making Community Happen)

During this exhibition we commemorated Devonport’s pre-colonial
past with maps and whakapapa contributed by tangata whenua, some

of which were traced to Chiefs Patuone and Waka Nene.



Our ongoing Meaningful Mapping Project continues to research
and document the history of the peninsula with details of the occupa-

tion and use of Takarunga. We will work in closer collaboration with
our staff member, artist Jermaine Reihana, Ngati Hine, Hokianga, to

undertake this project, developing a publication which identifies the
layers of the maunga, areas and forms of occupation, and which is

illustrated by his fine work. Jermaine’s first solo exhibition, Te Mata-
hi, was held at the Depot Artspace in 2016, and which, in many ways

replicated the ethos, and the association we continually aspire to, with
both tangata whenua and maunga.



“Tui’s voice is the golden thread of unity and the assurance that we

are not alone. Tui’s presence brings the promise of harmony and that
all is of the greater plan.” Jermaine Reihana

MAUNGA TAKARUNGA,


DEPOT ARTSPACE AND 16 KERR STREET:
HISTORY AND OCCUPANCY




Although the Depot has leased 16 Kerr St for 14 years its staff have

had significant association with the facility since 1984 when, as a
Community House, recreation and employment programmes were

run for rangatahi/young people (90% of a group of 60 or more were
Maori), and a trust, Te Whanau Rangimarie, was subsequently

established to address their needs and interests and eventually a fam-
ily home was set up by the Trust in Kawerau Avenue, along with

training programmes such as TOPS, TAPS, ACCESS, MACCESS
and Conservation Corps.



The spirit and ethos of this Trust has been maintained, and

enshrined, by those people who continue to work in the communi-
ty and at the Depot Artspace, particularly through the projects men-

tioned above, along with our ArtsLab (formerly PACE) programme.



The Depot has been contracted by MSD for 14 years to work along-
side creatives across the Auckland region on unemployment benefit.

We currently work with 200 clients, of which more than 60% are
non-European.



We also create a welcome and accessible environment for other

groups and individuals offering programmes and classes for local
and creative communities. From U3A seminars, choir rehearsals,

sketching and writers ’workshops in collaboration with Michael
King Writers’ Centre, to drama and cartooning classes for tamariki.



TAKING CARE OF MAUNGA

TAKARUNGA:


OUTCOMES IN THE DEPOT’S ROLE AS
LESSEE AT 16 KERR STREET




Over the 14 years Depot Artspace has leased 16 Kerr St on Takarun-
ga we have been respectful, diligent and conscientious in our care

for the maunga and for the community the maunga presides over.
In negotiating our new relationship with the Tupuna Maunga

Authority, we offer to undertake the following:



1. The Depot will continue to be the primary caregiver and user of
the facility each week from Tuesday to Friday to provide assistance

to unemployed job seekers in the creative industries sector to confi-
dently develop skills and tools to apply for and secure employment

to achieve personal well-being and financial independence.



2. Make the facility a welcoming and accessible environment for
other groups and individuals who offer programmes, classes and ac-

tivities that serve our local and wider community.



3.An article in each quarterly LOUD magazine about Takarunga,
highlighting key points of the history and place in Devonport (as in

this submission) with a distribution of 500.

4. Maintain the gardens and grounds immediately around the build-

ing in a clean tidy state.



5. Maintain the interior in a good state cleaned regularly.



6. We will research and document the history of the peninsula with

details of the occupation and use of Takuranga, working with our
staff member and artist Jermaine Reihana, Ngati Hine, Hokianga
to develop a publication which will be provided to Te Puna Maun-

ga Authority, all users of the facility, libraries, and for sale.



7. Create a large scale information panel on an interior wall acces-
sible to visitors and users of Kerr St Artspace about the whakapa-

pa, presence and meaning of Maunga Takarunga and its value to

the community.


8. Promptly report any maintenance issues to Council that impact

on the presentation and function of the facility.


9. To explore and explicate opportunities to celebrate and articu-
late the whakapapa, presence and meaning of Maunga Takarunga

and its value to this community and to Tamaki Makaurau as a sig-

nificant landmark and a historical and spiritual presence.


10. All applications to use Kerr St will highlight the significance

of Maunga Takarunga and request that users respect the site and

maintain the facility and its surrounds to a high standard.


11. Appropriate advice will be sought for any special exhibition or

event with respect to cultural awareness and sensitivities.



12. We will meet with Staff from Tupuna Maunga Authority an-
nually to share information that will support the effective use and

management of the facility and the Maunga.



13. We will continue to represent the values of the Depot Artspace

on the Maunga Takarunga as we have for fourteen years. They are
encapsulated in the Maori proverb:


He aha te mea nui o te ao


What is the most important thing in the

world?


He tangata, he tangata, he tangata

It is the people, it is the people, it is the


people





CONCLUSION




The three maunga are significant landmarks on the Devonport Pen-

insula, much-loved and respected for their presence and part in
the life of the community and for many locals in embodying an

indefinable quality through which they find solace and a sense of
perspective.



“I love Mt Victoria (sic). And North Head too. But there’s some-

thing about the view from Mt Victoria that fills my heart with joy.”
Rikki Morris, Musician and Devonport Resident



Should we be able lease 16 Kerr Street we will continue to explore

and explicate opportunities to celebrate and articulate the whaka-
papa, presence and meaning of Maunga Takarunga and its value to

this community, to Tamaki Makaurau and beyond, as a significant
landmark, and a historical and spiritual presence.













28 Clarence Street, Devonport (09) 963 2331
www.depotartspace.co.nz