BILLY HARRISON
Cutting timber for the waka at Tribal Journeys, Suquamish Territory, Seattle, America. 2019. Photo: Te Tapuwai Waka Crew.
Under the watchful eye of Heemi, drilling holes for lashing.
Looking at lines on the waka waka at Tribal Journeys, Suquamish Territory, Seattle, America. 2019. Photo: Te Tapuwai Waka Crew.
Billy carving the tauihu of the waka at Tribal Journeys, Suquamish Territory, Seattle, America. 2019. Photo: Te Tapuwai Waka Crew.
Billy carving the tauihu of the waka at Tribal Journeys, Suquamish Territory, Seattle, America. 2019. Photo: Te Tapuwai Waka Crew.
Launching of the waka at Tribal Journeys, Suquamish Territory, Seattle, America. 2019. Photo: Te Tapuwai Waka Crew.
Te roopu Tārai waka, Anaru Cook, Hori Te Tai, Pairama Woodbury, Ramai Ngakuru, Billy Harrison, Marino Duke. Motu karaka marae, 2022. Photo: Erina Harrison
FEATURED: Billy Harrison Ngāti Kahu, Te Rarawa
Ko Maunga Taniwha te maunga
Ko Mamaru te waka
Ko te Moho te Awa
Ko Te Parata te Tangata
Ko Kahutianui te whaea tupuna
Ko Ngāti Kahu te iwi
Ko Ngati Tara te hapū
Nō Muriwhenua ahau
Billy Harrison grew up in Doubtless Bay in the Far North and is of Ngāti Kahu and Te Rarawa descent. Billy has been trained in tārai waka under tohunga tārai waka and master navigator Tā Hector Busby (also known as Hekenukumai Pūhipi) and Heemi Eruera. Billy is one of three practicing waka builders in Te Taitokerau alongside Heemi and Haimona Brown. Tārai waka involves felling rākau, shaping it into a waka, carving the waka and binding it together. This mahi is important to Māori as they used waka as a means of travel pre-colonisation, making their way to Aotearoa by waka. Through his mahi, Billy is part of revitalising the traditional practice of travel and voyaging.
Billy’s waka journey started as a kid, when he would paddle at Waitangi every year on the waka taua there. As a teenager, Billy grew up not far from Te Aurere where Hector Busby’s base was for waka building. Billy also is from the local hapū there, Ngāti Tara. Te Aurere is the name of the whenua and the beach and is where Hector established himself.
Billy started going there after school around 2010-2011 and Hector offered him a job after a month. When Billy was starting out at Te Aurere his jobs were really simple such as rolling the extension cord out, filling the generator and sweeping the floors. Billy now reflects that doing these simple jobs taught him discipline and made him excited for the real thing of being able to fashion waka.
Billy started his study through the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute in 2013 and was learning under Heemi with the guidance of Hector. He graduated in mid 2016 and continued building waka for Hector at Te Aurere up until Hector passed away in 2019. He has been in his role as Ahurei Tārai Waka with Heemi since then.
At Te Aurere, it was really hands-on practical mahi and there was no curriculum. In this mahi, you learn from watching and not everyone can pick up the skills required in such a practical way. However, Billy was able to keep up with the high standards of learning under a tohunga. When Billy jumped on the kaupapa in Te Aurere, Hector was starting to lose his vision, and needed someone who was going to be more hands-on. Billy says that this journey was very timely because if he had come any earlier Hector wouldn’t have needed his help as much.
Heemi Eruera had previously learnt under Hector too. Hemi understood what it was like to be a student in that mahi and the way that Heemi taught was how Billy liked to learn. His whakaaro was that you have to let go of the fear of mucking it up. To this day, Billy and Heemi have a close friendship and everything he does, he confirms with Billy. Hector has now passed on but Billy and Heemi’s hononga remains.
Traveling the world with his mahi has been one of Billy’s career highlights. The shortest time he’s spent making a waka was 20 working days on a trip to Seattle in 2019. There was a team of five including himself, Heemi, Haimona Brown, Bryce O’Connor, Ashleigh Waitai Dye along with Rima Eruera, Heemi’s son. When waka are built in one place they know they’re going to go back to visit that waka. Waka builders from across Te Moana Nui a Kiwa inspire Billy, especially Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians), and kaupapa waka has allowed him to connect to other cultures across the Pacific and world. Kaupapa waka connects Māori all over the world. Hector was renowned for his craftsmanship and his techniques are recognised across the world. Billy recalls that wherever Hector would travel, he was always looked after by the local people.
A challenge that comes with Billy’s career is that because there are only two waka builders in the country he finds that there isn’t necessarily anyone to bounce ideas off. If there were other waka builders the conversations might change a little bit. Billy says it’s awesome when the Hawaiians come to Aotearoa because they have completely different outlooks on waka, although our stories are similar in many ways. Another challenge in his mahi is the time he has to spend away from his whānau. For waka builders to get any mahi done efficiently they have to be away for one to two weeks at a time. Without the support of his wahine, Erina, and his whānau he would not be able to do what he does.
Currently Billy and Heemi’s timeframe for building waka is one every six months. Someone will put a tono in for a waka, Billy and Heemi will then go and hui with them and ask them what the purpose of the waka is. They make sure that those who are requesting have at least a ten-year plan because it takes a lot to tend to a waka. They make a decision whether they will build a waka for them based on that. If they have the rākau ready they will build the hull and just have it sitting, so when someone wants a waka they will be able to see if it suits the kaupapa that person wants it for. They have three waka in the workshop at the moment that are ready for restoration.
A big part of the process for waka is resourcing and finding the rākau which sometimes takes up to three years. They have to plan with DOC because of the kauri dieback problem. Building waka also is dependent on the water it will be used for. Waka will be made slightly differently depending on if it is for freshwater or saltwater. Fresh water is less buoyant so the waka will sit lower in the water. Lashing is a very important part of the process because if you don’t do your lashing properly your waka is going to fall apart. Billy says that Hector would often say “kia u ki te here i tō waka” which means to lash your canoe strong and learn to love every step of the process.
Billy and Heemi are in the process of creating a succession plan, and have been holding wānanga to hopefully inspire young ones to jump on kaupapa waka and carry on this mahi. Billy taught waka lashing techniques during the first Tai o Hī Tai o Hā wānanga series, and was invited back to go deeper into the mahi at the Wānanga Aute me te Tārai Waka wānanga Masterclass in 2022 at Motu Karaka Marae. Two of Heemi’s nephews are with them at the moment and they are doing the jobs Billy started out doing such as sweeping the floors. They have also been planting kauri and tōtara so that future generations will have rākau to use for waka building.
Kaupapa waka has had a massive impact on Billy’s immediate whānau: his tamariki are natural on waka, and have them at their house. It’s had an impact on his hapori too and seeing a waka towed on a trailer through Taipa is normal. He has seen people’s whole lives transformed when they have become involved with kaupapa waka. Many find their sense of belonging in the waka whānau whether that be building or sailing the waka. Billy says that kaupapa waka gives people another platform to express their Māoritanga.
Billy lives just below Hector’s base on Te Aurere with his whānau where he will continue to flesh out his waka dreams. Billy’s aspirations for himself would be to have an exhibition. His ultimate goal is that he would have succession and more younger ones coming through.
Billy's favourite saying is that there is no such thing as ‘can’t do’. You have to learn and teach yourself to love every part of the process because it will all show at the end and you will be so happy in the end that you did every job properly.
Written by Tai o Hī Tai o Hā Writing Intern Dina McLeod (Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi)
Sharing further mātauranga with Wiremu Sarich, Jojo, Kereama and Rāmai at Toi Ngāpuhi Masterclass for Tai o Hī Tai o Hā, Motu Karaka marae, 2022. Photos: Bethany Edmunds
Billy teaching Jojo and Kereama lashing techniques at Tai o Hi Tai o Hā Wānanga, Kauhanga marae. 2021. Photo: Bethany Edmunds
