2025 marks the 160th anniversary of the siege of Waerenga-a-Hika (17-22 November 1865).

In 1865, 200 colonial troops with 300 Māori allies attacked the pā site where hundreds of Māori families lived. During the battle, which lasted five days, 71 Māori living at Waerenga-a-Hika pā and 11 government soldiers were killed. Many people were wounded, captured and deported to the Chatham Islands.

To mark these reflections of history and time, creatives, story tellers, educators and historians come together to share their stories, perspectives of past, present and future, through an exhibition of empowerment, identity and pride of place.

Presented in collaboration with Te Aitanga a Māhaki Iwi Trust, Hohou te Rongo is an exhibition that weaves a history that once simmered beneath the surface, now rises to the forefront in remembrance and honour of our tīpuna sharing stories of survival, resistance and mana motuhake.

Featuring a collection of taonga that connects to time and place of Tūranga in the 1800s, and contemporary artworks by selected Tairāwhiti practitioners, Hohou te Rongo, serves also as a bridge towards understanding and healing, through these shared visual conversations.