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Te Pā Tāhuna is a
Ngāi Tahu Property development

Mō tātou, ā, mō kā uri ā muri ake nei. We drive profit but are purpose driven and live by the values handed to us by Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu. Through excellence in sustainable land use, an inter-generational approach to investment, and a commitment to developing environmentally sensitive new buildings and communities, we ensure that we leave a treasured bequest for future generations of Ngāi Tahu.

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Meaning of Te Pā Tāhuna

The name Te Pā Tāhuna was gifted to the community by mana whenua. It celebrates their long connection with Tāhuna-Queenstown. The name Te Pā Tāhuna draws on Māori traditions of ahi kā. It’s a place where the home fires always burn on the shores of Lake Whakatipu Waimāori.

redf watercolour

The mana whenua advisory panel crafted the story of Te Pā Tāhuna

He ara rau, he ara tipuna

The many pathways, the ancestral trails have led us here

He kura huna, he kura roa

A place of sacred knowledge, riches concealed

Ka rarapa te ika a Kāhue

Of glistening pounamu

He puna karikari

The many waters, formed and fashioned

He puna hauaitū

Glacial fed pools

He puna waimaria a Rākaihautū

The bountiful lakes of Rākaihautū

Te ahi kā roa o Tūwiriroa, he ahi tū roa

The long standing fires of Tūwiriroa burn, this is our home

Te Pā Tāhuna

 

Tūwiriroa was a Kāti Mamoe chief who settled in the Tāhuna-Queenstown area. 

The Tāhuna-Queenstown and Central Otago Lakes area was of significant importance to the Waitaha, Kāti Mamoe, and Kāi Tahu people as a source of mahika kai (food gathering), pounamu, and other taonga (treasure).

Today it is a place of settlement, a burial place, and a cultural landscape that embodies the ancestral, spiritual and religious traditions of all the generations prior to European settlement.  

Our Artwork

Ngāi Tahu artist Ross Hemera was commisioned by mana whenua to create an artwork for Te Pā Tāhuna to use as our visual identity.

The artwork represents the footsteps of the pākura, the pūkeko, or purple swamp hen, abundant around the shores of Lake Whakatipu Waimāori. The artwork also symbolises the footsteps of our ancestors over the land.

The colours in the artwork speak of the taonga of this region. The glistening pounamu, the water of the lake, the hearth fires of Tūwiriroa and Tāhuna, and the Ngāi Tahu people themselves.

 

Demolition 269

Te ahi kā roa o Tūwiriroa, he ahi tū roa.

The long standing fires of Tūwiriroa burn, this is our home