Our inspiration

Our Māori name

Te Pane Matua Taiao speaks to our values and vision for our region and people. It represents our leadership, functions and responsibilities in promoting and maintaining the social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing of our region.

Te Pane

The crown of the head.

Matua

First, capital, parent, primary, principal, senior.

Taiao

Environment, world.

The name Te Pane Matua Taiao was created by mana whenua and was a koha (gift) to Greater Wellington in recognition of our partnership, making a powerful statement about our connection to mana whenua. Our mana whenua partners are integral to our region, its history and culture. They are key when it comes to the decisions that are made for the future of our region.

Tohu | Ki Uta Ki Tai

Ki Uta Ki Tai is the name given to our tohu, Greater Wellington’s visual te ao Māori representation of who we are and what we do.

In te ao Māori, the balanced natural order of ecosystems and ecological thinking is characterised in the expression Ki Uta Ki Tai which refers to the journey of wai (water) as it falls from the sky, flows over the land and out to sea. Within this mātauranga Māori understanding of sustainable land management, all parts of the ecosystem have a relationship with each other, and nothing can be separated.

Born out of the concept of Rere ki uta - Rere ki tai, our tohu represents Greater Wellington and our united aspirations. It speaks to our collective mahi – from the ground up. If we continue to nurture and raise our land – our land will nurture and raise us.

Ki Uta Ki Tai features ngaru (waves) and mangōpare (the hammerhead shark) symbolising the importance of wai. Water is the essence of all life, like the blood of Papatūānuku (Earth Mother) who supports all people, plants and wildlife. Ko te wai te ora ngā mea katoa - water is the life giver of all things. Ngā wai-ō rua - the two waters also known as Wairua, represents the essence of life Tangaroa (God of the Sea) and Papatūānuku, the water and all things in te taiao (the environment). The mangōpare represents our determination and the hard, physical and tangible work we do at Greater Wellington to maintain and restore the korowai (cloak) of Papatūānuku.

Ngā hau e whā is represented in the four corners of our tohu. Ngā hau e whā acknowledges our collective differences and embraces diversity and inclusion – culture, race, ethnicity, beliefs and sexuality.

A surrounding element of the tohu features koru - the unfurling new leaf of the ponga fern. This symbolises new life, growth, strength and peace. The koru represents the whenua and tangata of Te Whanganui-a-Tara.

As we journey through our tohu, we come to the roof of our whare Te Tuanui. The roof is built on by our poutama (stairway to heaven) representing the foundation we leave for the next generation, to build from the pinnacle of our success not the foundation.

The poutama symbolises levels of attainment, advancement and growth, striving ever upwards for betterment. The top of the tohu is open, encouraging change and signifying what is to come.