Captured within the tohu of Tainui Taranaki ki Te Tonga Ltd are many elements symbolising our tuturutanga (ancestry), whanaungatanga and whakapapatanga (inter-relationships), manaakitanga (mutual assistance and support) and kotahitanga (togetherness and cooperative effort), which have persisted over many generations:

• As neighbours and allies ki te papakainga tawhito since our arrivals from Hawaiki,
• Through the sagas of our migration ki te tonga, and
• Over ensuing decades of re-establishment and consolidation of our peoples within Te Tau Ihu.

The four blades of harakeke symbolise our four Iwi - Ngāti Koata and Ngāti Rārua of Tainui origins, and Ngāti Tama and Te Ātiawa from Taranaki - we, nga harakeke, are firmly embedded in and are nurtured by the rich earth of our whenua ataahua ki Te Tau Ihu.

The spaces between the curves of the blades and the central koru represent the bays and inlets of the beautiful coastlines of Te Tau Ihu - from Te Tai Tapu and Onetahua in the west, across the sweep of nga tai a Aorere, Mohua, Te Matau ki Motueka and Whakatu to Wakapuaka, Whangarae, Te Aumiti and Rangitoto, into the intricate whakairo of Te Hoiere, Totaranui, Te Kura Te Au and Te Moana Raukawa, and on to Te Whanganui, Karauripe, Parinui o Whiti and Te Karaka in the east.

The koru, traditional symbol of new life, reflects a number of strands of our existence:

• Nga harakeke hou are created from the marriages of the people
• New wealth is generated from the land
• New opportunities emerge from the strength and effort of the people
• Wakatu Incorporation / WAI 56 arises from the manawhenua of the Iwi
• Prosperity and wellbeing develops from the wise kaitiakitanga o nga kaiwhakahaere.

The golden colour is chosen to represent:

• The sacred memory of our tupuna tawhito no Te Tai Hauauru o Te Ika ki Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka
• The precious nature of our past
• The efforts of generations of ancestors to protect nga taonga tuturu o te Iwi and their vision for a better future
• The high honour vested in your chosen representatives
• The huge responsibilities to properly undertake the tasks ahead
• The wise nurturing of any taonga which may be returned via this negotiations process.