The following symbols illustrate our club philosophy.
Ekore rawa e mutu te aroha i ahau - ‘Love and friendship is enduring and true’.This beautiful taonga was sculpted out of a piece of kauri by renowned artist Fred Graham (Ngāti Korokī Kahukura) as a symbol of Awatere’s principles of sharing knowledge and friendship. It was commissioned by Awatere Club in honour of former club patron, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, ONZ, DBE, and was unveiled by her on 13 June 2006 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of her coronation
The sculpture is a symbol of the philosophical mission of Awatere – ‘to share knowledge and friendship’. Fred Graham explains that it combines the symbol of Te Atairangikaahu (The Hawk that Flies at Dawn) with a ‘Notch” design based on the “Rakau Whakapapa” or Genealogy Stick, with 40 notches (20 on each side) representing the 40 years of Dame Te Ata’s reign at the time. The design of the sculpture is based on the ‘Moko’, a symbol of maturity and all things associated with womanhood. The two stones of wisdom were brought back to Earth by Tawhaki, along with three baskets of knowledge, and suggest that Awatere membership is open to women of all races and religions.
“E kore rawa e mutu te aroha i ahau… Love and friendship is enduring and true.”
The Awatere Club tāniko weaving pattern was created by Awatere member Edith Dockery MNZM, JP (1929-2022) who was a life member of the Māori Women’s Welfare League, chair of Te Maika Trust (Kawhia), and made a member of the NZ Order of Merit in 2003 for services to the communty.
It was gifted to the club in 2006 to honour Dame Te Atairangikaahu.
The river (Awatere) is represented by the continuous blue line running through the design, which flows around and enriches the lives of the people of the Waikato. The gold thread represents the banks of the river and also the wealth derived from the life giving waters of the Waikato river. The green koru represents the forests of New Zealand and the lush green pastures of our rural environment.
The pattern of blue, green and gold threads depicts:
“Te waiora o te Awatere: The life giving waters of the flowing river. Te ngahere ataahua o Aotearoa: The beautiful forests of New Zealand. Te whenua momona o Waikato: The rich land of the Waikato.”
