Hoe steered the great Tainui waka on its journey to Aotearoa in the 14th century. It was used by Hoturoa who speared the hoe into the whenua, connecting the people to the land. It is symbolic of the courage of our tuupuna in forging new pathways and a new future, the adventurous spirit of our iwi and the determination to navigate our own future.
We are a river people and the hoe signifies the spiritual and physical affinity of our iwi to our tupuna awa, Waikato River.
When combined with the takarangi and its generational story, the hoe becomes a tohu that is interwoven with who we are, and our past, present, and future.
Tainui Group Holdings is the commercial engine room of Waikato-Tainui. We whakapapa to pre and post-colonial tuupuna who galvanised the local economy through their entrepreneurship, growing and harvesting goods which they transported to market via their highway – the Waikato River.
Through the hoe we are reminded of the enduring commercial and entrepreneurial nature of our iwi.
Our role is to propel the economic wealth of our iwi; to grow and protect our investment in whenua and other assets and to deliver commercial leadership with an iwi worldview for a prosperous iwi today and for generations to come.
