He Pou Mārama blends together Māori carving and architectural design. The design was conceived through joint consultation with the New Zealand Māori Arts & Crafts Institute (NZMACI) in the 1980s, and the work executed by their graduate carvers at that time – Lyonel Grant, Mark Kahu and Joseph Epāpara – under the direction of their senior carvers. He Pou Mārama was dedicated by the Rt. Rev. Manu Bennett, retired Bishop of Aotearoa, 2 April 1982.

The pou have been carved in traditional Māori form using tōtara, while introducing the concept of strength by triangulation. He Pou Mārama portrays Ranginui (sky father) and Papatūānuku (earth mother), their son Tānemahuta (atua of the forest) – who pushed them apart to allow light to enter and bring forth his forests – and his two wives, Hineahuone and Hinetītama, from whom all human life evolved.

They depict the Māori concept of the beginning of nature, continued today in its present scientific role, and being further pursued by the Bioeconomy Science Institute Maiangi Taiao.

The following narration for each of the three panels is the original wording for He Pou Mārama, carved by the respective NZMACI graduate and does not belong to the Bioeconomy Science Institute Maiangi Taiao.

Ranginui and Papatūānuku

In the beginning, the children of Ranginui and Papatūānuku were enclosed within the darkness of their parents' embrace, but they desired light so they could breathe in life and experience freedom from darkness.

All but one were in favour of separating their parents, and although each tried, they could not succeed. Finally, they implored the mighty Tāne to achieve what they could not. But their brother Tāwhirimātea wished to remain within the parents' embrace. He warned Tāne that he would not remain with his brothers should Tāne succeed and would bring winds and tempests down on them if they persisted.

But Tāne was determined. Using all his strength, he broke his parents' tight embrace, pushing his father Ranginui upwards to become the mantle in the sky above them. Tāwhirimātea went with his father to carry out his threat. However, Ranginui implored him not to unleash his anger relentlessly or he would disturb his mother, instead to only occasionally remind them of their breaking the bonds of union.

From his new role as Sky Father, Ranginui looked down on his lost mate, Papatūānuku, the Earth Mother, and their other children who remained clinging to their mother's curves. At times he could not control his tears of anguish, and so the gentle rains that fall remain a sign that his enduring love will nurture everything that springs from his beloved Mother Earth.

Tāne

By Senior Graduate Mark Kahu

Tāne retained his love for his parents and cl othed his mother in a beauty undreamed of in the dark world, earning for himself the name Tānemahuta, progenitor of forests. He was charged with sustaining the regenerative properties of all things in his charge. He was also appointed by his brothers to seek the seeds of life. And the three baskets he is holding represent his success in fulfilling this task.

Tāne ascended to Rangiātea, the twelfth heaven, the abode of the Supreme Being, lo Matua Te Kore, and there obtained from him the Wānanga (seeds) of life. These baskets were known as:

- Tuatea, the basket of prayers, rituals and incantations

- Tuauri, the basket of peace, love and goodwill

- Aronui, the basket of skills and knowledge.

He then returned to Earth and put them wisely to use. As progenitor of the forests, he knew he had to ensure that the knowledge he had secured from the Supreme Being was to be handed on to future generations for the benefit of humankind.

Hineahuone and Hinetītama

Tāne was not a mortal man and he desired to bring into existence a woman with whom he could procreate, but there were no women within his realm. He was directed to mold his mate from the earth and then to breathe life into her nostrils.

This he did, and up rose Hineahuone (Maiden created of the Earth) whom he took as his wife. Their offspring was Hinetītama, whom he also took as his wife. Hinetītama was the dawn maiden who, after bearing children to Tāne, wished to know who her father was. In discovering this, she felt shame and descended into the underworld within the body of their ancient Earth Mother, to prepare a place for the children of life. Tāne wept but Hine forbade him to follow, saying he must remain to rear the children while she would protect their spiritual welfare from her place within the primal mother.

It was from this that the path of death was opened and Hinetītama’s name was changed to Hine-nui-te-pō. Thus, the full life cycle of humankind was established.