Te reo o te hunga kainga e karanga ake nei, tuia, tuia, tui tuia
Correction:
An astute reader pointed out a mistake in our last issue of Te Tangi a Te Matuhi. In the article “History of Te Aitanga a Mahaki” some panui show Kahutuanui as the son of Paoa rather than the son of Kiwa. If your copy has this error could you make the necessary correction.
We welcome any articles, news or comments that you wish to share with others of Te Aitanga a Mahaki.
Acknowledgments:
We wish to thank all of you who took the time out to fill out the registration forms with your current address, a necessary exercise to update our database. There are still many who have not done so. We urge you to take this opportunity to update your address and register other members of your whanau. We have taken the liberty to attach a copy of the registration form to this issue that you may be able to pass on to other members of your family or other Te Aitanga a Mahaki people that you know.
An apology:
We had hoped to have a webpage in place to help with our communications. We are still working on the concept. When we have it in place, we will be found at mahaki.com. We hope that this newsletter, a belated effort, will be able to fill the information gap until we have our page in place.
Background to Te Aitanga a Mahaki Claim:
The claim began in 1991 with meetings called by the Crown Forestry Rental Trust to outline their Trust and its functions. In August 1992 at Okawa Bay it was agreed that The Crown Forestry Rental Trust would fund groups in researching grievances against the Crown. Te Aitanga a Mahaki, Rongowhakaata and Ngai Tamauhiri research eventually started on 12 August 1992 under the umbrella of the Mangatu Incorporation Committee of Management. After a short period of time it was decided that the three claimant groups would separate and Te Aitanga a Mahaki and Mangatu Incorporation would concentrate on their claim, with the other groups doing the same.
The Mangatu Claims Committee was formed with the original claimant E.J.T. Ruru as Chairman and members of the Committee of Management, together with a support group of recognised elders to assist in the research. Members of the original Claims Committee were: John Ruru (Chairman), Rutene Irwin, Michael Brown, Peter Gordon, Alan and Nona Haronga, Pene Brown and Kiki Smiler. The present committee acknowledge a deep debt of gratitude to Nona Haronga, Kiki Smiler and Peter Gordon who gave much of their information and time in the pursuit of our claim.
The Crown Forestry Rental Trust has provided financial resources and personnel to progress the Te Aitanga a Mahaki claim. The first stage of funding was to 31 March 1996. There have been other payments made which has been expended to date in preparing the various reports to place before the Waitangi Tribunal.
The Claims Committee were granted the mandate to collect historical and traditional information, to research Maori land titles and the various block histories within Te Aitanga a Mahaki. Searches were conducted at the Gisborne Museum and Arts Centre, and at the National Archives in Wellington and Auckland .
Mandate: Meetings were held at Tapuihikitia Marae on 4 th November, 1995 and Takipu on 20 th January, 1996 where the mandate was granted to Te Aitanga a Mahaki Claims Committee to collate all historical and relevant information on Te Aitanga a Mahaki grievances against the Crown and that they be responsible to present the Te Aitanga a Mahaki claim to the Waitangi Tribunal.
The Research group was made up of a Senior Researcher; Vincent O'Malley, and three Researchers; Jacqui Haapu, Tania Rauna and Donna Kennedy, together with four local historians and two administrative staff; Ani Smith and Rawinia Smith. The Research group, presently, consists of one voluntary administrator and four historians, who meet once a week on the first floor Nga Waierua Building , Lowe Street , Gisborne.
Progress since the last newsletter:
• The Deputy Chairman of the Waitangi Tribunal, Chief Judge Joe Williams, and the different agencies involved in the claim process, have asked the claimant groups in Turanganui a Kiwa to work together as a collective. Meetings have been held amongst the claimant groups to achieve this end.
• Our Final Statement of Claim has been filed with the Waitangi Tribunal. The Crown has filed a Statement of Response and The Waitangi Tribunal has filed a Statement of Issues. These documents will form the basis of the arguments that the Waitangi Tribunal will hear.
• Our counsel are Pru Kapua and Sheena Tepania of Tamatekapua Law of Auckland .
• Timetable of hearings:
18th November Combined powhiri to be held at Whakato Marae, Manutuke
19th - 23rd November Combined submissions – claims that are common to all claimant groups eg, people who were captured at Waerenga a Hika and deported to The Chatham Islands. This hearing will also be held at Whakato.
10th – 14th December Te Aitanga a Mahaki Claim – Mangatu Blocks Conference Room.
28th January – 2nd February Te Whanau a Kai, Te Whanau a Wi Pere, Ngariki. Ngariki will hold their hearing at Mangatu Marae. Venues have not been finalised for Te Whanau a Kai or Te Whanau a Wi Pere.
25 th February – 1st March Rongowhakaata and Te Whanau a Te Kooti – Maori Battalion Marae
15th – 19th April Ngai Tamanuhiri – Muriwai Marae
27th – 31May The Crown Submissions – Venue to be decided
In addition joint counsel have asked for an extra week of hearing for summing up to commence 11th March.
Where to following the hearing:
• The hearing is the first step in the process of settling the claims of Te Aitanga a Mahaki.
• When the hearings for the Gisborne Inquiry District have been completed, the Tribunal will issue a report with their recommendations. Realistically this should be towards the end of 2002.
• Following this report we will have to make the following decisions:
• Who and how do we select a team to negotiate a settlement with the crown.
What mandate do we grant this group?
How do we ensure that our interests are represented?
What form or reporting systems do we require?
Is it necessary to set up a group to administer this process? To set up communication systems?
• What form of structure do we set up to administer our assets?
Electoral Policies
How do we set up fair and equitable representation
Are the 8 hapu groups identified on our registration form a fair representation of Te Aitanga a Mahaki? Or do we use marae representation?
• Because some of our land blocks were excluded from the Gisborne inquiry district and included in the East Coast inquiry district, we will also have a voice in that inquiry district, which should be following these hearings.
• Taurahere Visits:
The Committee will be visiting our whanau as much as possible beginning with a visit to the south island in January. Our agenda is to meet as many people as possible in their own area, to talk about the claim process and other issues of Te Aitanga a Mahaki.
For our whanau who are living out of New Zealand , when you visit us, make time to call in to see us and we will be pleased to meet you.
• Wananga were held for Te Aitanga a Mahaki at Takipu marae where we visited marae sites and shared korero and history. The final wananga for the year will be held at Matawai Marae on 2 nd , 3 rd , 4 th of November, where we will discuss future direction for Te Aitanga a Mahaki. Depending on the weather, we propose to visit Ngatapa pa.
Historical:
The introduction of Kahungunu to Te Tairawhiti
Our story starts with Rongokako passing by and leaving his footprint on the coast past Pouawa at Tapuwae o Rongokako. He was the father of Tamateapokaiwhenua who was, probably like his father, a great explorer. Tamatea is commemorated locally by a prominent hill on the back of Tangihanga Station known as TaumatawhakatangihangakoauauaTamateapokaiwhenuamotaanatahukiaRanginui, where Tamatea yearned for his lost son Ranginui and played his koauau on the hill named after this event.
Tamateapokaiwhenua was living with his family in the north at what is now known as Kaitaia, when they had to leave they took up residence near Tauranga. Kahungunu was born at Kawhainui near Maketu, his mother Iwipupu having come from Tairawhiti.
They were living at Mangatawa pa where Kahungunu and his half brother Ranginui set their net on the Otira Beach . Kahungunu did not wait for the net to be pulled to shore, but started to help himself to the fish. Ranginui lashed out at Kahungunu with a tamure, the impact of which caused Kahungunu to spike himself on the spine. With a pride more deeply hurt than head or hand Kahungunu left and journeyed to Opotiki where he stayed with his nephew Haruataimoana, son of Kahungunu's half-brother Whaene.
The wife of Haruataimoana, Hanenepounamu, was at the time pregnant and Kahungunu requested that if the child was a boy, he should be named Tutamure from the fishing incident.
Haruataimoana was keen on fighting and so Kahungunu joined him in a war party that made its way to Te Arawa where in a battle called Te Awhenga, an Arawa chief, Ahukawa, was captured and made a servant slave to Hanenepounamu.
Haruataimoana was confident to leave Ahukawa to look after his wife and it is possible that he was away far too often and far too long for, on his return after one foray, he found Hanenepounamu pregnant to Ahukawa. Ahukawa must surely have had much prestige and mana on his own account, for Haruataimoana did not dispatch Ahukawa, but instead chose to sleep outside the house. “kati waiho au i konei taipunoa atu ai” The boy was called Tamataipunoa, a description of Haruataimoana's sleeping against the wall of the house like a pile of driftwood and curled up like an animal.
Kahungunu had by this time made his way to Uawa where he stayed for a time with his sister, Iranui and her husband, Hingangaroa. He then moved on to Titirangi. On looking inland he saw the smoke from cooking fires and enquired whose were the fires. On being told that they were the fires of Ruapani, he decided to visit Popoia, where he was met by the daughter of Ruapani, Ruarauhanga. Later she was given to Kahungunu in marriage. From this union was born Ruaroa who married Rahirimomore and had Kahunoke, Kahutukia, Ruahinekino and Te Nonoikura.
Kahungunu moved on to marry Hinepuariari, the daughter of Panui at Whareongaonga. From this union was born Powhiro and Tuaiti.
He finally moved to Mahia where he married Rongomaiwahine, daughter of Rapa and Moekakara, and made his home there among the descendants of Kupe. Rapa was a cousin to Moeahu who lived with his wife Koihu at Te Huia where the Waikakariki and Whakaahu streams meet to the north of Brunton Road at Patutahi. Amongst their other children were Turahiri, Moetai and Uetupuke, all of whom were married to Rongowhakaata and from Turahiri Rongowhakaata claim descent.
Back now to Tutamure's place near Opotiki. His sister Taneroa had married Rongomainotai (also referred to as Tamanoti) and they lived in the Waikohu-Matawai area at Kekeparaoa pa. Rongomainotai was somewhat lazy and was not providing food to Taneroa at a level that was pleasing to her. She often compared his meagre portions to the abundance she had received at home. She took her husband back to Tutamure's place to show him what could be done. On the return home Rongomainotai left for Te Karaka and on his return home found Taneroa had prepared a garden that overshadowed the small plot he had constructed. He left but his dutiful wife followed and after a couple of these moves, Rongomainotai left instructions that Taneroa should be killed. This was effected.
Tutamure found out and came over to avenge the death of his sister. His sorrow obviously knew no bounds for his path of destruction extended beyond as far as Maunga-a kahia pa on Mahia where Kahungunu was living in his older age. He was there with his youngest daughter Tauheikuri who was named after the launching of a net and it was a dog that Kahungunu sacrificed.
The war party attacked and broke through the outer defences and when enquiry was made as to who was the leader of the party, Tutamure replied ‘Kaore koe i rongo i te tangata i nohia Te Whakarua. Ka rangaranga te muri, ka tu nga tuatara o tamure, ko au, ko au, ko Tutamure”. Kahungunu recognised the man as the son of his nephew whose very name he had suggested. He was there with his half-brother Tamataipunoa.
The war party was called off and Kahungunu as a gesture of thanks for peace offered Tauheikuri to Tutamure. She got herself prepared but on going outside and seeing the two brothers sitting beside each other, she had a moment of confusion for she was not aware which was Tutamure. And besides, one was ugly and the other handsome. Indeed it had been said of Tutamure “he kino, he ngarara, he nanakia, he weriweri” . Not much of an encouragement to a young fellow's self image if victory in warfare were not a means to mana.
Tauheikuri, full of hope, went to the feet of the good-looking fellow, who pushed her away. She tried again and Tutamure in disgust got up and made his way top the edge of the sea where he looked in a still pool of water, thereafter known as Te Waiwhakaata o Tutamure. He saw for himself and returned and said to his brother ‘”Kei noho koe takahi i runga o Motu, kei kite koe i te puia o Whakaari noho iho ki konei”. telling him to take Tauheikuri and not to ever return home.
Tamataipunoa and Tauheikuri remained at Maunga-a-kahia where their two sons Tawhiwhi and Mahaki were born.
Conclusion:
• The agenda for our taurahere visits, first to the south island and then to other districts, will be published in the next newsletter.
• There are copies of our reports, the Statement of claim, the Crown Response and the Statement of Issues available on 3 CDs . Application can be made to the office with a payment of $10 to cover cost and postage.
• Finally, we would appreciate your comments on the claim process to date, and, most importantly, your comments on our communication system and more particularly our newsletter.
Ko nga mihi tenei a te hunga kainga kia koutou e noho mai nei i nga topito o te ao, e tangi nei tatou kia ratou te hunga kua huri atu ki tua o Te Arai.
He arohanui kia koutou mai i te Komiti Whakahaere i nga tono i mua i te aroaro o te Ropu Whakamana i Te Tiriti