Nau mai hoki mai! The world’s first crochet wharenui is coming home to Tāmaki Makaurau.
Wharenui Harikoa is a large-scale, fully crocheted traditional Māori meeting house. A wharenui is normally the main building on a marae, but this one is about to go on display at The Civic Theatre in Auckland from the 5th July.
Created by artists Lissy (Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Kahu) and Rudi Robinson-Cole (Taranaki, Ngāti Pāoa, Waikato, Ngāti Tahu/Ngāti Whaoa), this is the first time Wharenui Harikoa will stand during Matariki.
Inspired by stories of Matariki and crocheted with neon coloured wool, Wharenui Harikoa translates to 'House of Joy' and represents the healing and connection found in te ao Māori.
Lissy and Rudi said that the concept for the wharenui was gifted to them in “a vision from our beloved tūpuna”, the vision being that it would have a “global impact of aroha”.
“We wanted a wharenui where everyone could come together and be under Matariki,” Rudi explained.
“We can tell all our stories of the gathering of our food sources, all our stories of our loved ones or our dreaming, have a place where we can actually dream about things we want to be.”
“The actual physical act of crocheting is to connect loops and so straight away, we could see the symbolism of crochet really giving us a visual for everything we know to be seen and to be true in the unseen world,” Lissy told Stuff.
In total, Wharenui Harikoa is made up of approximately 5,500 balls of 100-gram yarn.
“I did the math and it’s probably about from Tāmaki to Taupō,” Rudi laughed.
“This whare offers an opportunity for us, especially as Māori, to come to a place of pure indigenous joy,” explained Lissy.
“Rudi and I are absolutely unapologetic in our expression of our joy for our people but also for humanity.”
“We see our work as a bridge too between those [Māori and Pākehā] two worlds,” she finished.
The Sky Tower will light up on July 4th to mark the opening of Wharenui Harikoa. The public viewing will then start at The Civic on July 5th. Entry is free and donations are welcome.
