Turitea Pā Site is a finalist project in the Innovation category of the 2023 Asset Management Excellence Awards.
A mana restoring partnership project of Rangitāne O Manawatū (Rangitāne) and Palmerston North City Council (PNCC). Last used in the 1850’s, this project enables Rangitāne to stand at the Turitea Pā site once more. A challenging clifftop site was overcome to build a modern version of a Pūhara (watchtower), supporting Rangitāne to tell their story in an interactive way.
The Turitea Pā Site project is a partnership between Rangitāne O Manawatū (Rangitāne) and Palmerston North City Council (PNCC).
Turitea Pā formed part of a wider settlement known as Te Kuripaka, which dates to the fifteenth century. A tall viewing platform once stood on the site, called Te Pūhara o Turitea (the sentry watchtower of Turitea). The pūhara was between nine and fifteen metres tall and it gave Rangitāne an unobstructed 360-degree view of anyone moving up or down the river. Rangitāne last used Turitea Pā in the 1850s. The site has been fenced off for many decades, and no remnants of the old pā remain.
This project has enabled Rangitāne to stand at the site once more, restoring mana. The culturally appropriate modern version of the Pūhara, enables the story of the land’s association with Rangitāne to be told in a fun and interactive way. Visitors can imagine what the Rangitāne would have seen when they stood on the Pūhara centuries ago.
