Meaning of Tākina
Tākina means to invoke, to summon, to connect, to bring forth, in te reo Māori. In Wellington, the most powerful force that is summoned here is the wind.
Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington Harbour) is renowned for its unique and diverse winds. Some days they rage across the harbour, blowing everything before them. At other times, they are soft, welcoming, calm. We treasure and invoke each of them, because together they make Wellington a unique place.
Te Āti Awa gifted the name Tākina to the new Wellington convention and exhibition centre to celebrate the unique Wellington winds and the part they played in shaping Wellington.
Those winds are a metaphor for magic, exuberance, sharing, and ideas. The winds express the shift of knowledge from one generation to another. They move things forward. They carry truths and viewpoints here from the universe and move them on to others, thousands of miles away.
Cultural services at Tākina
In Aotearoa New Zealand, we often incorporate indigenous Māori culture — including customs and values, known as tikanga— into our events. Tikanga is set by mana whenua, the local people with territorial rights. That means the local iwi, Te Āti Awa, set the tikanga for Tākina Wellington Convention & Exhibition Centre, and works with partners and clients to observe it.
Tākina Events and Te Āti Awa have created a guide to cultural services available at Tākina, including a whakatau or formal welcome. Every event is unique and requires a unique form of tikanga, which Kura and Alishia from Te Āti Awa can work with you to determine.
To learn more about tikanga at Tākina, or to add a mihi whakatau to your event, click here.
The meaning of Te Papa Tongarewa
Te Papa Tongarewa translates literally in te reo Māori to ‘container of treasures’.
A fuller interpretation is ‘our container of treasured things and people that spring from mother earth here in New Zealand’.
It’s a fitting name for the other venue in Tākina Events’ portfolio of event spaces, New Zealand’s national museum; the place that protects our national taonga (treasures) and explores and preserves New Zealand’s heritage, culture and knowledge of the natural environment.