Po¯rana’s name honours Poland link with Kiwis

A white-tufted kiwi at the national wildlife centre near Eketa¯huna has been named Po¯rana, or Poland in te reo Ma¯ori, to honour the area’s special relationship with Poland.

The kiwi, which was related to Pu¯kaha’s famous white kiwi Manukura, was blessed in a special naming ceremony by Rangita¯ne o Tamaki nui-a¯-Rua and Rangita¯ne o Wairarapa iwi members on Friday, to celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations between New Zealand and Poland.

The Tararua town of Pahiatua has a special historical relationship with the European nation, having taken in many Polish orphans during World War II.

Poland’s ambassador to New Zealand, Grzegorz Kowal, was at the ceremony with Tararua Mayor Tracey Collis.

‘It was both and humbling and an honour for all of us. It’s a very significant and special relationship that’s been forged between both countries,’’ Collis said.

Pu¯kaha National Wildlife Centre, together with Rangita¯ne, gifted the naming of a kiwi chick for the people of Poland.

Po¯rana was sired by Mapuna, the brother of Manukura, the famous white kiwi which was a huge attraction at Pu¯kaha until its death in 2021.

During WWII, New Zealand accepted 733 Polish children, mainly orphans, and 105 accompanying adults, which has fostered a special relationship between the two countries.

The children were brought to New Zealand and housed in temporary accommodation near Pahiatua in 1944, which is why the town has a sister city relationship with Kazimierz Dolny in Poland.

Some relatives of those original children were at the ceremony on Friday.

‘‘There were some stories shared, the kaumatua Matua Warren Chase talked about his babysitter being one of the Polish children, and so the connections are still there within our community,’’ Collis said.

Po¯rana has a white strip on its forehead which was reminiscent of the white stripe on the Polish flag. It was going to be housed in Pu¯kaha’s kiwi house with a plaque explaining the significance of its

name. It is not yet known if the chick was male or female, but a DNA test on one of its feathers would be done soon to determine its sex.

Pu¯kaha was set to open its new

Environmental Education Centre Te Wa¯nanga Taiao in July. This centre will accommodate groups of up to 40 people, including schools, community and business organisations.