![\"Taiarahia,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4JJ2P9A_Image_B_Tairahia_Te_Kakahu_Tawhito_jpg.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n“Ko te wawata o te ng\u0101kau, kia mau te maunga i tana k\u0101kahu tawhito i mahue iho e o t\u0101tou matua, t\u0101tou koroua.”<\/p>\n
Our earnest wish is that the mountain should maintain her ancient raiments left since the days of our forebears.<\/p>\n
Hiki Toko, 1985 (Te M\u0101hurehure, T\u016bhoe)<\/p>\n
For generations of T\u016bhoe, Taiarahia mountain in the Bay of Plenty settlement of Ruatoki Valley has stood as a sentinel landmark watching over them and welcoming them home.<\/p>\n
Her cliffs once held the ancient p\u0101 of T\u016bhoe t\u016bpuna, her presence sheltering the marae and hap\u016b below, her dense forest sustains and protects native species.<\/p>\n
As forestry plans loomed, the native forest of the maunga came under threat, galvanising a unified vision voiced by Te Mahurehure, Ng\u0101i T\u016bhoe kaum\u0101tua Hiki Toko from the summit of Taiarahia.<\/p>\n
“Ko te wawata o te ng\u0101kau, kia mau te maunga i tana k\u0101kahu tawhito i mahue iho ai e o t\u0101tou matua, t\u0101tou koroua.Ko t\u0113r\u0101 k\u0101kahu tawhito o te ngahere, kaua hoki e tangohia t\u0113r\u0101 kia whakamau i te k\u0101kahu hou an\u014d m\u014dna.”<\/p>\n
Our earnest wish is that the mountain should maintain her ancient raiments , left since the days of our forebears , that she should not be made to wear these new clothes.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Taiarahia, Te K\u0101kahu Tawhito Docu Series<\/p>\n
Taiarahia, Te K\u0101kahu Tawhito<\/p>\n
In 1985, Tasman Forestry began earthworks as part of plans to clear hundreds of hectares of native forest and replace it with pine.<\/p>\n
The proposal, which was approved by the T\u016bhoe-Waikaremoana M\u0101ori Trust Board, triggered a six-month occupation that united and divided wh\u0101nau, placing relatives on opposing sides of the argument.<\/p>\n
![\"Harata](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4JJ6MQ6_Image_C_Tairahia_Tame_and_Harata_jpg.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Harata Day (Te M\u0101hurehure. Ng\u0101i T\u016bhoe) and Tame Iti Te M\u0101hurehure Ng\u0101i T\u016bhoe) – instigators of the occupation of Taiarahia.<\/p>\n
Taiarahia, Te K\u0101kahu Tawhito<\/p>\n
Harata Day and Tame Iti initiated a unified response when the reality of the threat became stark – bulldozers were already tearing up the earth and felling trees on the maunga.<\/p>\n
Their coordinated campaign combined direct action with strategic advocacy. Iti and others confronted the forestry operation on the maunga, while Harata worked behind the scenes, writing to ministers, politicians and organisations including Greenpeace and Forest & Bird to raise awareness and rally support.<\/p>\n
In the months that followed, an enduring committment to kotahitanga overcame overwhelming odds to succeed in protecting the maunga.<\/p>\n
![\"Harata](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4JJ2P9A_Image_D_Taiarahia_Harata_Wiki_Ngarimu_jpg.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Harata Day and two of her daughters Wikitoria Day and Ngarimu Daniels.<\/p>\n
Taiarahia, Te K\u0101kahu Tawhito<\/p>\n
Taiarahia: Te K\u0101kahu Tawhito chronicles the experiences of those caught up in the occupation in a seven-part documentary series co-directed by Harata’s daughter, Wikit\u014dria Day.(Te M\u0101hurehure, Ng\u0101i T\u016bhoe)<\/p>\n
Day said one of its unique strengths was capturing the vastly different memories and emotions of generations who experienced the same event.<\/p>\n
“Most documentaries are centred around a handful of kaik\u014drero. In contrast, this kaupapa captures at least 15 different perspectives, and what’s quite fascinating is the difference in recollections across generations .”<\/p>\n
The series includes the voices of those who experienced the occupation as children and are now pakeke with mokopuna of their own.<\/p>\n
“Tamariki were very involved in the occupation, but they were sheltered from the confrontational aspects,and still quite naive to the significance of what was happening, “<\/p>\n
“They saw it as a time of adventure and playing with their cousins, despite the emotional impact of the events, they were allowed to maintain that sense of naivety children often have around kaupapa like this.”<\/p>\n
In stark contrast to the perspectives shared by tamariki the series also captures the painful reality of wh\u0101nau finding themselves on opposing sides of the argument. The impact still resonates with those involved.<\/p>\n
Forestry provided employment when decent paying jobs were hard to come by and some of the Tasman Forestry workers sent to the maunga found themselves in stand-offs with whanaunga.<\/p>\n
On one side was Tame Iti and his ‘puna kiore’ (rat pack) who were focused on protecting and upholding their obligation to the maunga, while on the other were wh\u0101nau trying to protect jobs and feed their families.<\/p>\n
Day described the result as an emotional rollercoaster.<\/p>\n
“You hear anger, frustration and sadness. It’s a real concoction of emotions, and that’s what makes it really unique.”<\/p>\n
Beyond the occupation Te M\u0101hurehure demonstrated the value of combining whakapapa, tikanga, strategy and collective action to build a movement around an extraordinarily complex issue.<\/p>\n
Forty years after the occupation, Day said its enduring lesson was clear.<\/p>\n
“The biggest and strongest lesson this provides is the power of kotahitanga.”<\/p>\n
“Kotahitanga can be achieved no matter how complex the argument, and the power of unity and kotahitanga can make a genuine and real difference.”<\/p>\n
After six months, the occupation ended in favour of tangata whenua and the native forest remained standing.<\/p>\n
The feature-length version of Taiarahia: Te K\u0101kahu Tawhito won the People’s Choice award for best documentary at the M\u0101oriland Film Festival.<\/p>\n