Te Taratara ā Kae Te Taratara ā Kae

Nau mai, haere mai ki te Te Taratara ā Kae. This space holds the Māori and indigenous collection.

Facilities

This space is a green zone for collaborative and individual study
5 computers
Couches, beanbags and comfortable chairs
Artwork
The Māori and Indigenous Collection

Tīkanga (protocols)

This unique space and collection are important to Te Herenga Waka, so please respect the following:

This space is available for everyone to use
Furniture is moveable but books must remain clearly visible and accessible at all times
Food and drink are allowed
Your cleanliness shows your respect for this space, so put all your rubbish in the bins provided.
In te ao Māori (the Māori world), it's respectful to not sit on tables.

The Māori and Indigenous Collection

The Māori and Indigenous Collection consists of books selected for the teaching and research of Te Kawa ā Maui plus basic reference works, and samples of material from other disciplines.

Te Pātaka Kōrero - The Library has curated the Māori authors digital collection. It contains Māori authors in Te Waharoa, the library's discovery system, across all fields and subjects.

Tapuaka - Heritage and Archives have collated historical archives about Te Herenga Waka Marae and Te Reo Māori Society.

Taonga in Te Taratara ā Kae

“Te taratara ā kae” is the name for the jagged whale tooth design found on most traditional pātaka (storehouses). The design indicates abundance and wealth. This name complements the Library’s name in te Reo Māori, “Te Pātaka Kōrero”, alluding to the wealth and abundance of knowledge the Library contains. The choice of an ancient name is tohi; it links the new space to what has gone before and infuses it with mauri (life force) to give it life and vibrancy.

Instead of walls, Te Taratara ā Kae has widely spaced floor to ceiling pillars, which allow light and sound into and out of the space. The space has been modeled on a wharenui (meeting house), and laid out according to traditional Māori spatial design principles.

The spine label

The special label on the spine of the books in this space is the winning entry from a competition to design a label in harmony with the goals of the collection designed by Emma Gardiner.