Date1985DescriptionTe Rākau Kotahi – The One Tree
Te Rākau Kotahi, or "the one tree," was carved under the supervision of Tainui master carver Taonui-a-Kupe Rickard. It originally stood in the garden at the entrance to the old Law School and has since been relocated with the school to its current building.
This paepae was a personal gift from Māori Queen Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu to the University of Waikato and the Law School. The timber originates from the tāhūhū (ridgepole) of the whare whakairo meeting house at Waahi Pā in Huntly. The tāhūhū—the backbone of a traditional Māori meeting house—serves as a powerful symbol of ancestry. This timber was originally carved for King Tāwhiao by Pātara Te Tuhi, a respected Waikato leader, newspaper editor, warrior, and secretary to the Māori King.
When the whare was dismantled in 1965, the wood was placed into storage for many years. In 1981, Rickard led a project at Waahi Pā to carve the paepae, which was completed in 1985. Te Rākau Kotahi was deliberately aligned east–west so that the manaia figures at each end could face the rising and setting sun—welcoming and farewelling each new day.
Within the manaia are eight carved figures, each representing one of the sacred waka—the great voyaging canoes that brought Māori ancestors to Aotearoa. From east to west: Te Arawa, Mātaatua, Tākitimu, Tokomaru, Kurahaupō, Aotea, Ngātokimatawhaorua, and Horouta. Interwoven between them are connecting manaia forms, portraying the whakapapa (genealogy) of these waka. These links express the foundational kaupapa on which the Law School is built.
At the centre is a small figurehead representing the descendants—the next generation of scholars who will enter the Law School to seek, question, and learn.
Te Rākau Kotahi symbolises Tainui welcoming those descendants with blessing and support. While the name refers literally to "the one tree"—the tree of wisdom—it also metaphorically speaks to knowledge, unity, and the opening of pathways to the future. It represents a central conceptual value in te ao Māori: drawing together all the strands of time, culture, and people across Aotearoa. CreatorTaonui-a-kupe Rickard
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