WHAT’S ON
Tauranga’s event season is in full swing. A mix of sport, music and big-name performers are bringing plenty of life to the city. Whether you’re staying local or hosting visitors, there’s so much to see and do.
Tauranga’s event season is in full swing. A mix of sport, music and big-name performers are bringing plenty of life to the city. Whether you’re staying local or hosting visitors, there’s so much to see and do. “This summer is going to be huge,” says Tauranga mayor Mahé Drysdale. “Our city will be buzzing with events for everyone. Locals can enjoy an incredible line-up right here at home, and visitors will get to experience Tauranga at its absolute best – welcoming and full of energy.”
BLACKCAPS VS WEST INDIES — TEST MATCH December 18–22 — Bay Oval
Five days of classic summer cricket as the BLACKCAPS face the West Indies. Experience a lively crowd, great match-up and that unmistakable Bay Oval atmosphere.
L.A.B. & STAN WALKER
December 27 — Wharepai Domain
Two of Aotearoa’s most loved acts return for an afternoon and evening of music in the heart of the city. A strong line-up and a cruisy festival feel is exactly the kind of day Tauranga does well.
NEW YEAR’S EVE CELEBRATIONS
December 31 — Tauranga city centre, Mount Maunganui, Greerton, Matua, Pāpāmoa
Music, entertainment, food trucks, and a 9.30pm fireworks display at all sites (except Greerton which has a light show). A relaxed, fun New Year’s Eve for families and anyone keen to stay close to home.
HOT SPRING SPAS T20 BLACK CLASH
January 17 — Bay Oval Team
Rugby squares up to Team Cricket, led by Kieran Read and Dan Vettori. Fast, noisy and full of personality, this event is always a crowd-pleaser.
JIMMY CARR — LAUGHS FUNNY TOUR
January 25 — Mercury Baypark
A night of sharp, unapologetic comedy from Jimmy Carr as he brings his latest tour to Tauranga.
BAYPARK SPEEDWAY — SUMMER SERIES
Various dates — Mercury Baypark
Stadium High-powered racing, packed stands and full-throttle excitement, the summer series is back with a full run of events.
THE CHIEFS VS FIJIAN DRUA
January 30 — Blake Park
Get ready for a summer showdown as the Chiefs take on the Fijian Drua at Blake Park. Expect high-energy footy, electric fan spirit, and a warm-weather evening out for friends, families and rugby lovers alike.
FISHER
January 31 — Bay Oval
Global dance heavyweight FISHER becomes the first artist to stage a major concert at Bay Oval – set to be the biggest party the Bay has ever seen.
UB40 FEATURING ALI CAMPBELL
February 7 — Bay Oval
A summer favourite, with Ali Campbell bringing the Red Red Wine and a stack of hits to Bay Oval, all wrapped in an easygoing festival feel.
BEAST OF A FEAST
February 28 — Soper Reserve
Tauranga’s not-so-typical beer, food and music festival returns, featuring Ladi6, Avalanche City and P-Money.
TOI TAURANGA ART GALLERY
Current exhibitions — Tauranga
The gallery has reopened with a fresh line-up of exhibitions from artists across Aotearoa, Australia and the Pacific. It’s definitely worth stopping in to see what’s new.
A story of past and present
Dean Flavell is restoring Tauranga’s heritage by bringing taonga Māori home, one treasure at a time.
Dean Flavell is restoring Tauranga’s heritage by bringing taonga Māori home, one treasure at a time.
words DEBBIE GRIFFITHS
For Dean Flavell, a decision in 2003 to accept the role of Poutiaki Māori for the Tauranga Heritage Collection was easy. He’d already recognised one of the taonga that would sit in the future Tauranga Museum as linked to his own ancestor, and wanted to ensure it was kept safe.
“We have the remnants of an ancestral meeting house called Tamapahore, which once stood at Karikari Point,” he says. “It belongs to Ngā Pōtiki and it hosted many renowned members of Māori society including King Mahuta, the third Māori King. It was heartbreaking to find the relic not properly cared for. There’s a better way to honour our ancestor and the skill that went into this carving.”
Dean has pieced together the story surrounding it, finding connections to our most turbulent time: the New Zealand land battles at Gate Pā, Te Ranga and the bush campaign in the late 1800s. Tamapahore wharenui was an example of Māori meeting houses that emerged after the beginning of the Kīngitanga movement.
“Māori had a lot of their lands confiscated, but on what was retained they built larger houses to accommodate community gatherings,” he explains. “I imagine there were a lot of things that local Māori needed to discuss, so it was a place of coming together to contemplate the past and the future.”
It was in the tiny eastern Bay of Plenty community of Nukuhou that Dean was raised by his grandfather who spoke f luent Te Reo. “Our road was gravel and there was one shop that sold saddles, clothing, milk, lollies, everything,” he recalls.
“Our elders would speak Māori amongst themselves and when we went to town they’d revert to English. I love that today the knowledge is broader. Even if it’s simply place names or greetings, it’s becoming normal to hear Te Reo and I have great talks with my Pakeha friends speaking Māori and English together.
After a stint in the military, Dean learned traditional carving techniques, taking charge of the work on a wharenui in Whanganui when he was just 20. He launched his own carving school there and later worked as an educator at the local museum.
“I moved into curating and exhibition design overseas, including a time at Osaka in Japan, and then came back to New Zealand to a letter on my desk asking if I’d come to Tauranga to work on a new museum for the region.”
That was 24 years ago and for Dean it was an opportunity to locate artefacts around the world to help tell the story of Tauranga Moana.
“There are key taonga in other institutions,” says Dean. “In 1987 we started the work to find them and we’ve been creating relationships with the museums that have them. Some are in Wellington and Auckland and there’s a kite from the voyage of Captain Cook in the British Museum. It’s huge and quite unique. We know it’s safe and one of the thoughts is to replicate it in some way.”
For Dean, the Taonga Māori Collection is to keep safe the taonga tuku iho (treasures from the ancestors) that embody cultural stories, traditions and histories and an acknowledgement of the people who are no longer with us.
“Their stories live on and we get to share them with future generations through the new Tauranga Museum,” he smiles. “Good things take time. It’s been a long journey, but I’m really excited about where we’ve landed.”