Tera te haeta e takiri ana mai! Behold the first light of dawn! (Waiapu Ngutu Awa, 7th August 2020)

The rising sun is significant in the ancestral narratives and lands of Ngāti Porou: Porourangi, the first tipuna (ancestor) born of a tapu (sacred) line, was born in a crimson, red-tipped dawn. Part of this artwork’s title – 'Tera te haeata e takiri ana mai! – Behold the first light of dawn!' – quotes a line from a men’s ceremonial haka from the East Coast that describes the significance of the dawn light streaming through the mouth of the Waiapu River to strike the summit of the ancestral maunga (mountain) Hikurangi. Due to the position of the maunga, this phenomenon occurs only twice a year.

Robertson’s hapū (sub-tribe), Te Whānau a Pōkai, is located on the Waiapu River, north of Ruatoria. This photograph is part of a series of works made by the artist in response to the Waiapu Kōkā Hūhua, a 100-year-plan for revitalising the Waiapu River developed by Te Runanganui o Ngāti Porou iwi and hapū in partnership with the Gisborne District Council and the Ministry of Primary Industries. Amid the devastating environmental erosion in the region, Robertson has found hope in what she describes as the ‘distinctive eastern Tairāwhiti language of light’, which holds deep significance for her tribe and informs her personal photographic language.

– Nathan Pōhio, Senior Curator Māori Art, 2025

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