Te Aitanga a Mahaki Trust To Advance and Promote Te Aitanga a Mahaki Iwi |
Welcome to the website of Te Aitanga a Mahaki
Welcome to the website of Te Aitanga a Mahaki
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MAORI King, Kingi Tuheitia will be attending the 50-year commemoration of Takipu and Mangatu Marae in Easter. It will be his first official visit to Te Tairawhiti. The auspicious occasion is a much anticipated event for the Te Aitanga a Mahaki iwi who have been making celebration plans for almost a year. Event media manager Maringi Brown said the invitation was extended to the Kingitanga and Waikato at Ngaruawahia's Turangawaewae Marae by a large Te Aitanga a Mahaki delegation during Tainui's 2007 Koroneihana celebrations, and Kingi Tuheitia's first. Kingi Tuheitia's attendance will reconnect to the role that his grandfather King Koroki had in the opening celebrations of Takipu Marae’s meeting house, Te Poho o Pikihoro, at Te Karaka and Mangatu Marae’s War Memorial Dining Hall at Whatatutu in 1958. Ms Brown said Te Aitanga a Mahaki was looking forward to reaffirming their Mahaki connections to the Kingitanga and hosting the celebrations for the wider Turanganui a Kiwa and Tairawhiti iwi to attend. The event will be a daylong celebration starting with a 9am powhiri at Takipu Marae and ending at Mangatu Marae. "The celebrations are planned to reflect many of the key events, practices, people and iwi that were here 50-years ago at the opening of these whare. Meetings have been taking place over the last 11 months in preparation. An event of such importance requires enormous planning. It is with great sadness to see that many of our kaumatua are no longer here with us and how we truly miss their guidance and leadership. However we are grateful for the kuia, koroua and whanau we do have that are accepting the roles and responsibilities for the celebration." A report from the Te Ao Hou publication describes the event, half a century ago, as being a wave of gatherings with the event catering for 4000 visitors. The Takipu War Memorial is described as a splendid dining hall that was opened by Major Kingi Keiha a commanding officer of the Maori battalion C Company and Mahaki descendant from Gisborne, while the newly carved meeting house was opened by Member of Parliament (Labour) for Southern Maori and first Ratana MP Sir Eruera Tirikatene. A carved effigy of the late Sir Apirana Ngata, set in the back of the meeting house was separately unveiled by King Koroki. Also unveiled was a church bell in memory of Henare Ruru (a prominent Chief of Te Aitanga a Mahaki and confidant of Ngata), decorated with some very old carvings, including the splendid lintel of the old Te Poho o Pikihoro meeting house. A memorial plaque was erected at Mangatu, in honour of the late commissioner J. S. Jessop who helped bring the Mangatu lands to its present prosperity. It was an important day in the history of Te Aitanga a Mahaki, for the meeting house at Takipu Pa recalled its ancient affiliation with Waikato and the movement of Te Kooti. The original Takipu meeting house was specially built to receive Te Kooti during his intended visit to the East Coast in 1889. That visit did not occur, but the present hui gave an opportunity to express formal thanks to Waikato for their hospitality extended to Te Kooti. Organiser of that hui was Te Aitanga a Mahaki rangatira Te Kani Te Ua. Other prominent guests included Secretary of Maori Affairs M Sullivan, Vice Admiral Sir Peter Phipps KBE DSC VRD and the entire crew of his frigate Kaniere who came to Gisborne especially for the marae opening celebrations. The report said the hui was an occasion for an excellent display of Maori cultural performance and for a meeting of the Hokowhitu atu Association of Maori war veterans. The total cost of the buildings at Te Karaka and Whatatutu was estimated at being 46,000 pounds. Article provided by Maringi Brown-Sadlier. |
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Ko Maungahaumi te Maunga, Ko Waipaoa te Awa, Ko Te Aitanga a Mahaki te Iwi.Send mail to ianruru@mahaki.com
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