Embedded Files
Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei are the tangata whenua of Te Kahu Tōpuni o Tuperiri, in the heart of Tāmaki Makaurau. Their mana over the land and sea is rooted in deep connections to their ancestors (take tupuna), the history of land acquisition through traditional warfare (take raupatu), unbroken occupation over generations (ahi kā), and the gifting of land passed down through customary practice (tuku whenua).
Te Tāōū, Ngāoho and Te Uringutu are the 3 hapū making up what is today Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. Tuperiri is Te Tāōū and he remained in Tāmaki Makaurau to consolidate Ngāti Whātua mana whenua (customary authority).
In 1840...
at Manukau Harbour, on the 20th March, Te Kawau signed a copy of the Treaty of Waitangi. Ngāti Whātua were seeking British protection against their Ngāpuhi enemies. Their Māori protector in the 1830s had been Pōtatau Te Wherowhero (the Māori King) and it may have been partly due to their long alliance with him that, although refusing to sign, he did not reject the treaty out of hand.
In 1841...
The rangatira Apihai Tekawau greeted Governor William Hobson on the shores of Okahu Bay:
"Governor, governor welcome as a father to me, there is my land before you... go and pick the best part of the land and place your people, at least our people upon it."
With these words, thousands of acres were made available for the new township of Auckland. It is this spirit that has guided generations of the hapū Te Tāou, Ngā Oho, and Te Uringutu known now as Ngāti Whātua o Orakei, in their quest for mutuality and reciprocity.
The prophecy: He aha te hau? nā Tītai
Shortly after signing the treaty, Te Kawau made available land for a new settlement on the Waitematā Harbour. This decision was reached after a major meeting at Kohimarama, called by Te Kawau as leader of Ngāti Whātua. Discussions were inconclusive until Te Kawau's tohunga, Tītai, went into a trance and uttered the following prophecy: It is common for tamariki in our Kāhui ako o Waitematā to practice this mōteatea (traditional chant).
What is this wind that softly blows
'Tis the warm wind from the north
That blew the nautilus shell ashore
I will go and fetch the carved post
And establish it in the Waitematā
Our desire will then be fulfilled!
1951...
"all we had left was our urupa (our cemetery) a quarter of an acre..."
says Ngarimu Blair, Deputy Chair of the Ngati Whatua Orakei Trust.
In 1977...
the occupation of Bastion Point, also known as Takaparawhā, was a 506 day protest from 1977 to 1978 by the Ngāti Whātua and their supporters against the government's plan to develop their ancestral land for housing. The occupation began on January 5, 1977, and ended on May 25, 1978, when police and army personnel forcibly evicted the protesters. This historic protest was a major event in New Zealand's history of Māori protest and ultimately led to the land's return to the Ngāti Whātua people.
In 2021..
on the 19th of Novemeber, the New Zealand government apologises to Ngāti Whātua o Ōrākei as part of the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Claims Settlement Act.
Ref: https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2012/0091/latest/whole.html
In 2024...
Ngāti Whātua o Orākei work tirelessly to re-establish their mana and rangatiratanga across the Tāmaki.
Introducing the world’s first iwi haka app!
This innovative resource is a paradise for schools to support the teaching and planning of local histories through waiata and kapa haka. The app (taupā nga) is the first of its kind anywhere in the world and is now available on the Apple App Store.
The Taupānga includes:
guitar tutorial videos, haka tutorials, waiata recordings, historical context, teaching guides and kupu & English translation.
Download today and bring local histories and iwi knowledge to life in your classroom!
Ref:
https://ngatiwhatuaorakei.com/
Te Ao Hurihuri, the changing world 1920-2014, Aroha Harris.
https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1t42/te-kawau-apihai
Orange, C. The Treaty of Waitangi. Wellington, 1987
Smith, S. P. Maori wars of the nineteenth century. 2nd and enl. ed. Christchurch, 1910Waitangi Tribunal. Report of the Waitangi Tribunal on the Orakei claim. Wellington, 1987
Report abuse