The journey to find Tākina's heart: the story of Te Uiraroa
Published Date: 22 April 2026
In te ao Māori (the Māori world), a mouri stone represents the life force or life energy of a place, a forest, a river, or in this case, a building. It is more than symbolic - the mouri is the vital essence that gives a place its living spirit, connecting
In te ao Māori (the Māori world), a mouri stone represents the life force or life energy of a place, a forest, a river, or in this case, a building. It is more than symbolic - the mouri is the vital essence that gives a place its living spirit, connecting it to Papatūānuku (the earth mother) and to the people who will gather there.
For Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre, that life force is a stone gifted from the Akatarawa stream, named for the everlasting flash of lightning, and placed as a touchstone to bring life to this place.
This is Te Uiraroa. And this is the story of how Kura Moeahu QSO, Chair of Te Rūnanganui o Te Āti Awa, found it.
The call
When it came time to find the mouri stone for Tākina, Kura knew the process. As he explains, "Sometimes they say that if you search for the mouri, you won't find the mouri. You have to listen and wait to be called”.
The stream
Eventually, Kura found himself at one of the sources that feeds into Te Awa Kairangi (the Hutt River), the Akatarawa stream.
"I just thought I'd just do a random check," he recalls.
He bent down. Put his hands into the water. And pulled out a boulder.
In that moment, ancient practice guided his actions. As Kura explains, "It is a common thing within our Māori practices, or particularly our practices: if you're going to take something from Papatūānuku, gift something back."
He took a strand of his hair and offered it to the stream in exchange for the mouri stone.
The signs
As Kura lifted the stone and began carrying it, he looked for what often guides these moments: signs and symbols from the natural world.
There was rain. There was lightning. There was thunder.
"So I chose the name Te Uiraroa," Kura says, "which means 'the everlasting flash of lightning,' and I gifted that name to the mouri stone."
"For me it was a symbol to say the mouri stone is alive."
The life force of Tākina
Today, Te Uiraroa sits on the ground floor of Tākina, on the level known as Te Manawahūtau. It is a touchstone - something visitors can connect with, can touch, can feel.
"A wonderful opportunity," as Kura describes it, "for when our visitors enter into this building and read about the history of Te Uiraroa and where it came from - and discover that it is the life force of Tākina."
Because that is what Te Uiraroa is here for - not to sit as a distant symbol, but to be touched, to be acknowledged, to remind everyone who enters that this building breathes with the same life force that flows through our rivers, our harbour, our whenua.
Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre opened in June 2023, built in partnership with Te Āti Awa, mana whenua of Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Kura Moeahu QSO and Dr Alishia Rangiwhakawaitau Moeahu MNZM of Te Rūnanganui o Te Āti Awa have guided the building's identity from the earliest planning stages, ensuring that every element tells the authentic stories of this place.