Whānau from the small settlement of Panguru in the Far North gathered at Ngāti Manawa Marae for a wānanga, not only to learn about paraikete whero (red blankets), but to create their own.
The paraikete whero movement, which has grown in prominence across Aotearoa in recent years, invites whānau to stitch their stories, whakapapa, and resistance into red blankets, each one unique to the maker and their journey.
In Panguru, the wānanga served as both a space for creativity and a form of healing, connection, and reclamation.
Komene Te Tai, in her second year at Waikato University, travelled north to take part. She says the kaupapa holds deep meaning and offers another chance to strengthen her relationship with her māmā, Tracy.
“I rawe, mōku ake, te hoki ki te kāinga ki te noho tahi me tōku māmā, wānanga i tā māua tino hiahia kia tapiri atu ki ngā paraikete, hei tohu i tō māua mana motuhake ki te kaupapa.”
“Te pai hoki ki te huri rauna i te marae, e kite ana i ngā momo rerekētanga o ngā paraikete kua hangaia e ngā whānau o te hapori.”
Each blanket created at the marae is a visual record stitched with symbols, names, colours, and designs that speak to their kōrero tūpuna, whenua, and their collective struggle.
Local kaiako Selena Bercic says the process of creating paraikete whero was an important opportunity for her whānau. Her paraikete whero is a symbol is the kaupapa she’s been a part of in the past.
“My inspiration for this is probably some of the mahi I’ve been doing with Te Rarawa and our hapū and iwi. Our main motto is ‘tiakina te taiao, tiakina te iwi.’”
Makere Ngaropo Hati, also a kaiako at the local kura, has spent months planning their annual Puanga Festival. The paraikete whero wānanga was a part of that.
She considers this a privilege to help bring the voices and stories of her people to light through this creative expression.
“Ko ngā kōrero ka tuhituhi, ka tuitui ki runga i ēnei paraikete mō ō mātou nei hapū, te hītoria o tō kāinga, he mea kōrero mō tō whakapapa, tō mātou nei whakapapa ki te whenua.”
For many participants, the wānanga was more than just an arts-based gathering; it was an act of reclaiming space, reaffirming mana motuhake, and strengthening bonds between themselves as whānau.
