22/04/2026
Tēnā koutou katoa. We are excited to share our TAOWARU: Karetao Pūoro logo and the whakapapa of its design. We have been using it for a while now- when I woke this morning I felt guided o share it today. The design and all its kōrero has been created by James Webster and the logo was polished for this world by graphic designer Hira Taewa. E Hira- e mihi ana ki a koe me ō pūkenga auaha.
TAOWARU – Design Overview
Meaning and Purpose
TAOWARU as a kaupapa speaks to the growth of karetao—the “rise of the karetao.” It’s a tohu that sees karetao as a living healing practice grounded in the whare tapere and whare pūhi. Karetao are both taonga and rongoā, used to support oranga and restore balance.
Karetao practice brings back something that once held a place and space in our Māori world. As a living artform, it helps reactivate memory and knowledge, weaving it back into everyday life. While it comes from te ao Māori, its value as a healing and connective practice can reach beyond that.
Pattern and Symbolism
The Taowaru pattern draws from taratara-a-kae, a carving style often seen on pātaka and linked to abundance. Its niho (tooth-like shapes) represent breaking down kai, but also thinking, processing, and understanding. It connects back to the stories of Tinirau, Kae, and Tutunui, grounding the design in the origins of the whare tapere.
This pattern can also be seen as Te ara a Ruaumoko—a pathway shaped by movement and change. Like Ruaumoko shifting beneath the earth, creating earthquakes and volcanoes, these lines reflect how the land is formed over time. They echo moko and the flow of water, knowledge, and experience. It’s about movement, change, and finding your way through different journeys.
Reading the Tohu
At the centre is the karetao, shown as an abstract tangata. It represents years of connection and practice, and the mauri (energy) that has grown from that relationship. The circle around it speaks to eternity, space, and time—like a portal. The taratara-a-kae pattern occupies the inside of the circle/portal, analysing and digesting all that enters the space.
Karetao become a way to connect across generations, linking wairua, tinana, and hinengaro, as well as tūpuna and mokopuna. They offer a choice: to simply exist, or to step into purpose and contribute to the wider world.
Colour and Energy
The colours reflect uenuku (rainbow) which is the spectrum of light and energy, including ira tāne, ira wahine, and ira atua. Like light through a prism, they are visible but also intangible. They speak to the flow of energy through the body and the journey from Te Pō to Te Ao Mārama. Mixing colours reflects the endless potential for new connections and relationships.
Tao waru – The Eight Spears
“Taowaru” means eight spears. Examples of karetao throughout history show some as having pointed bases that are placed into the whenua, acting as supports (toko) that create space for kōrero. “Tao” also connects to healing practices where karetao with pointed bases were placed on the body, the karetao head then tapped with a kuru, alongside karakia, to shift energy, awaken memory, and create connection within space and time.
Taowaru also refers to eight parts: seven karetao are linked to the whānau of taonga pūoro (as described by Hirini Melbourne), and the eighth being the pūkaretao—the person who brings them to life through movement and story. These are represented in the design by the eight red niho in the outer circle.
Kupu Insight into Karetao:
The word Taowaru can be understood as:
Ta – to inscribe or implant
O – essence
Wa – space and time
Ru – to shake or move
TAOWARU brings all of this together—movement, energy, healing, and connection across time and space.
