At a socially distanced gathering on Wednesday 1 December at Pukekawa/Auckland Domain, author Lucy Mackintosh came together with colleagues, advisors and family members for the blessing of her book Shifting Grounds: Deep Histories of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.
Lucy Mackintosh signing Mātua Bobby Newson’s copy of ‘Shifting Grounds’, for which he wrote the mihi karakia / preface.
The group congregated around the memorial to Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, which Mackintosh writes about in her book. The blessing was led by Pita Turei (Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, Ngāti Pāoa, Ngā Rauru Kiitahi), a member on the Taumata-ā-Iwi at Tāmaki Paenga Hira/Auckland Museum and an advisor to Mackintosh throughout the writing of Shifting Grounds. Others who spoke included Bobby Newson, the Tumu Here Iwi Relationships Manager at the Museum, who wrote the mihi karakia for the book; Ropata Paora (Te Taoū, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei), who also supported Mackintosh’s work; and Kahutoi Te Kanawa, Curator Pou Ārahi.
Pita Turei, of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, Ngāti Pāoa, and Ngā Rauru Kiitahi descent, who is on the Taumata-ā-Iwi at Tāmaki Paenga Hira / Auckland Museum, keeping the fire burning throughout the blessing for the book.
Lucy thanked those mentors and advisors that were at the blessing, as well as those who could not be there. Reflecting on her own family’s history in Tāmaki Makaurau, Lucy said ‘You bump into your own histories, and those histories can be unsettling and confronting. But these histories that are under our feet are important I think, for recognising and understanding from all angles what has happened in the places we live in and how they are still with us today.’
From left to right: Jami Williams (Curatorial Support Manager), Kahutoi Te Kanawa (Curator Pou Ārahi), Bobby Newson (Tumu Here Iwi Relationships Manager), Lucy Mackintosh (Curator History), Pita Turei (Taumata-ā-Iwi), Ropata Paora (Te Taoū, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei), in front of the memorial to Pōtatau Te Wherowhero at Pukekawa / Auckland Domain.
Shifting Grounds takes such an approach in unearthing histories at three iconic landscapes: Pukekawa/Auckland Domain, Maungakiekie/One Tree Hill and the Ōtuataua Stonefields at Ihumātao. The book has been met with an overwhelming response on publication, topping bestseller lists, with a big reprint ordered in only its third week on sale.
Pita Turei speaking during the blessing.
Anne Salmond, Distinguished Professor of Māori Studies and Anthropology, University of Auckland, describes Shifting Grounds as a ‘marvellous book that illuminates the stories of these much loved landscapes in new and striking ways.’
Simon Wilson of the New Zealand Herald calls Shifting Grounds ‘a seduction: an invitation to see the city afresh, and enjoy.’
Kennedy Warne, writing for E-Tangata, says 'Shifting Grounds is a book that any Aucklander with a desire to deepen their connection to the city’s landscape should read. It will enliven the past and enrich the present and perhaps even shape the future.'
Bobby Newson speaking during the blessing.