Who We Are

The people of Ngāti Tama iwi of Te Whanganui-a-Tara (now known as Wellington) (“Ngāti Tama”) wish to establish a formal body to represent, manage, promote, foster, assist, and develop the affairs and interests of Ngāti Tama and particularly the descendants of those tupuna who conquered, established and maintained the Ngāti Tama customary interest held in Te Whanganui-a-tara in and around 1825 - 1835.  Ngāti Tama states that it has never truly surrendered its tangata whenua status in Te Whanganui-a-tara with many descendants still holding ahi kā amongst neighboring iwi.   

Objective

4.1 Representation: To be the voice and representative body for Ngāti Tama in

Whanganui-a-Tara.

4.2 Co-operation:    To promote and foster spiritual values, unity, support and

co-operation amongst Ngāti Tama generally.

4.3 Tikanga:             To promote and encourage amongst the people the recognition of Ngāti Tama customs and values and to have regard to Ngāti Tama custom in all practices and proceedings of the Society.

4.4 Social:               To promote and attain the advancement, independence and security of Ngāti Tama, whether individually or collectively, in the following areas:

History of Ngāti Tama in Wellington

Tama Ariki of Tokomaru waka:

Ngāti Tama are those who whakapapa back to Tama Ariki, the chief navigator on the Tokomaru waka, are Ngāti Tama. The Iwi of Ngāti Tama is located in north Taranaki around Poutama. On its northern boundary (Mohakatino River) are the Tainui and Waikato/Maniapoto tribes, and on the southern boundary is Ngati Mutunga explains the long, continuous, and close relationship between the three Iwi.

Migration South:

Ngāti Tama people migrated south in the 1820s in search of better opportunities (eg. trade), to ensure their safety eg. there was the ongoing threat from musket-carrying Tainui war parties), and close whakapapa and historic ties with Ngāti Toa (the main migrant group heading south to Te Whanganui-aTara  - now Wellington). Ngāti Tama's paramount chief Te Puoho was in charge of leading the expedition south, along with other chiefs eg. Te Kaeaea.

While Ngāti Tama was one of the first Taranaki iwi to arrive in Wellington in the 1820s, other Iwi, hapu and whānau joined the migration from Taranaki eg. Ngāti Mutunga and Te Atiawa. People from these three Iwi have in common the same heritage back to the Tokomaru waka. The central and southern Taranaki tribes, including Wanganui also participated in the journey south. 

The evidence suggests that Ngāti Tama arrived in Whanganui-a-Tara in a series of migrations from Taranaki (along with Te Atiawa, and led by Ngāti Toa) in 1822, participating in a process of conquest and occupation of the environs of Wellington by 1824. There were several Iwi that they encountered who were already settled in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, including Ngai Tara, Ngāti Ira and Ngāti Kahungunu.

In 1824 a Ngāti Tama contingent settled by Te Rauparaha at Ohariu and Makara. At some point, Ngāti Tama crossed the Wellington Peninsula from Ohariu to live at Kaiwharawhara, where they were principally located along Wellington's "western corrider" by 1839, but also at other outlying areas in Wellington, including the Hutt.

A Distinct Iwi and Rohe:

While Ngāti Toa, and the Taranaki iwi, hapu, whānau had shared and intersecting rights throughout the environs  of Wellington, Ngāti Tama maintained a seperate and distinct identity in various places in Kaiwharawhara, Pakuao and Raurimu from the first arrival in 1824, Tiakiwai (Thorndon) after the departure of Ngāti Mutunga (in 1835). There were Ngāti Tama settlements at Ohariu, Makara, Ohaua and Oterongo on the western coast; and Komangarautawhiri further north. Ngāti Tama also had summer fishing kainga at Okiwi and Mukamuka (Palliser Bay).

The rights and customary interests of Ngāti Tama included all interests and all rights in Te Whanaganui-a-tara and the lands and resources of those people in particular westward to the coast. Ngāti Tama were joint tangata whenua, and had tino rangatiratanga, mana whenua and tangata whenua status over those lands in accordance with traditional Māori law and custom, whether by way of the exertion of their mana, rangatiratanga, by creating relations between groups or by physical use, cultivations and occupations.

Ngāti Tama maintained a separate and distinct identity in Wellington and enjoyed occupation, fishing, birding and cultivation rights there. Ngāti Tama also set up a functioning organizational structure including hapu and whanau units with associated kainga, marae, waahi tapu etc.

Despite the pressures of competing interests between the Iwi of Wellington, initially, a thriving economy ensued based on servicing visiting ships in particular. However, some people had lost their lives in the journey south (eg. Te Taku), others sought opportunities further a field in the South Island (eg. Te Puoho), Chatham Islands, or even returned home to Taranaki.

European Impact:

In the late 1830s, the New Zealand Company brought into Te Whanganui-a-Tara boat lands of European colonizers in search of a place to settle. The impact on Ngāti Tama of the European settler, another competitor, was to prove disastrous as the new arrivals sought Māori land.

The Port Nicholson Deed was a dubious land sale transaction between the New Zealand Company and Chiefs in the Hutt Valley with the Ngāti Tama Chief Te Kaeaea participating. The New Zealand Company thought they had purchased land from Te Kaeaea, but they had only been given anchorage and port rights to Wellington harbour.

The Crown  set up the Spain Commission to enquire into the Wellington land sales. Spain came to adopt an attitude towards Ngāti Tama claims, which ultimately came to seriously prejudice their interests because of Ngāti Tama's actions in occupying land in the Hutt. While Spain noted the numerous faults inherent in the land sales, his findings incorrectly assumed Te Kaeaea's participation in the Port Nicholson transaction was equal to complete comprehension of, and support for, the sale of Ngāti Tama land. Despite the protestations from Ngāti Tama people, the Crown assisted the settlers by making grants of Ngāti Tama lands. The impact of Crown action in Whanganui-a-Tara was fatal; Ngāti Tama lost their land and to a large degree their identity. 

In 1844 Governor Fitzroy adopted a policy of compensating Ngāti Tama. There was no consultation, and compensation proceeded in a summary fashion. Ngati Tama living in Kaiwharawhara received their share of the compensation under protest, and Ngāti Tama living in Ohariu missed out on any payments at all.

In 1847, McCleverty concluded a series of agreements with Ngāti Tama to finally settle the reserves issue. In total the 200 Ngāti Tama received 2600 acres of reserves. These paltry reserves (about 13 acres per person) were set aside as compensation. Whatever reserves had been rewarded was inadequate for their needs. The reserves were also unsuitable for cultivations, which was their main means of survival. 

Allienation of Whenua and where we are today:

Through alienation of our lands in Whanganui-a-Tara and elsewhere, Ngāti Tama have dwindled into obscurity.  In the word of our founding Tūpuna and claiment for WAI 735 Te Pūoho Katene, " the real purpose of setting up Ngāti Tama advocacy group is to raise Ngāti Tama from the dust of obscurity, enabling Ngāti Tama to stand - to be seen and acknowledged, to have it's dignity and Rangatira restored... it's time to balance the equation by the  voices heard of those speaking form the dust..."

Ngāti Tama Ki Te Upoko O Te Ika are preparing to go back to the crown to have our Tūpuna's grievances heard and acknowledged.