Love Your Maunga

2 February 2018

Love Your Maunga: stage set for celebration of Māngere Mountain

Four hours of live music, food and market stalls is set for the ‘Love Your Maunga’ event at Māngere Mountain, 11am to 3pm on Saturday 17 February.

An impressive stage line-up includes R&B singer/songwriter Vince Harder, Lavina Williams, and many others. A highlight of the day will be a kapahaka performance by local school Te Kura Kaupapa Māori a rohe o Māngere.

The stage, stalls and a Kids Zone with bouncy castles and face painting will be located on the upper sports field at the Domain Road entrance to Māngere Mountain. Limited parking will be available in the Māngere Memorial Hall car park.

A fun day out for locals and visitors alike, the event is also about raising awareness of the maunga’s significant history. Māngere Mountain was one of the most formidable Māori pā (fortified village settlements) in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland and remains a site of great significance to Mana Whenua today. Free guided walks around the maunga will be offered on the day, courtesy of the Māngere Mountain Education Centre.

For those interested in the future care and enhancement of Māngere Mountain the event is a great opportunity to meet members and staff of the Tūpuna Maunga Authority which is responsible for many Tūpuna Maunga (ancestral mountains) around Auckland. A pop-up information centre will also be on-site.

Chair of the Tūpuna Maunga Authority, Paul Majurey, says that the Authority is looking forward to connecting with people who love Māngere Mountain and want to know more about it.

“The Tūpuna Maunga Authority will be familiar to some people and new to others. This is our chance to introduce ourselves and talk to everyone about the values now driving the restoration, protection and enhancement of the taonga that are the maunga of Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland.”

“Love Your Maunga is very much a community celebration of Māngere Mountain and the other Tūpuna Maunga that are such an important part of our history. Mana Whenua and local communities draw a real sense of identity from the maunga and it’s important that we acknowledge and keep talking about the importance of respecting these special places.”

“The name of the event says it all really. We want people to enjoy their time at Māngere Mountain and come away feeling that they really do love their maunga and feel a real sense of ownership towards their care and protection.”

More information about the Tūpuna Maunga Authority can be found at www.maunga.nz.

ENDS

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