King Taawhiao
King Taawhiao
UNDERSTAND / Big Ideas KNOW / Contexts DO / Inquiry Process
Taawhiao Matutaera Pootatau Te Wherowhero, Painted in 1883 by Gottfried Lindauer (b. 1839, d. 1926)
Te Ara Wai: Journeys (Waipa Council)
In 1881, King Tawhiao, with 600 followers, visited Cambridge as part of his tour of the Waikato to mark an armistice in the Kingite-Pakeha war. He and his party were well received in all the settlements visited and at Cambridge great preparations had been made including a formal banquet. Prominent merchant and townsman, Thomas Wells, held out the right hand of friendship in this photograph taken with the Maori King during the four days of their stay in Cambridge.
Cambridge Museum
Inquiry Wonderings
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He aha ngaa tongikura? (What are tongikura?) A tongikura is a saying made famous by past Maaori kings or 'quotes of a monarch'.
Pootatau Te Wherowhero
(Te Kōpu High School)
“Kotahi te kohao o te ngira e kuhuna ai te miro ma, te miro pango, te miro whero. I muri, kia mau ki te aroha, ki te ture, ki te whakapono.”
“Through the eye of the needle pass the white threads, the black threads, and the red threads. Afterwards, looking to the past as you progress, hold firmly to your love, the law, and your faith.”
Te Puea Herangi
(Te Kōpu High School)
"Mehemea ka moemoeā ahau, ko ahau anake. Mehemea ka moemoeātātou, ka tāea e tātou.
’If I dream, I dream alone. If we dream as a collective, we can achieve our dream.
‘Mahia te mahi hei painga mō te iwi.
’‘Do what is necessary for the wellbeing of the people.
’‘Ka mahi au, ka inoi au, ka moe au, ka mahi anō.'
‘I work, I pray, I sleep, and then I work again.’
Taawhiao
(Te Ara)
"Ko Arekahānara tooku haona kaha
Ko Kemureti tooku oko horoi
Ko Ngaaruawaahia tooku tuurangawaewae."
"Alexandra [present day Pirongia] will ever be a symbol of my strength of character
Cambridge a symbol of my wash bowl of sorrow
And Ngāruawāhia my footstool."
Taawhiao
(Te Ara)
"Māku anō e hanga tōku whare
Ko tōna tāhuhu, he hīnau.
Ōna pou he māhoe, he patatē."
"I will build my house
Its ridge pole will be made of hīnau
Its posts will be made of māhoe (whiteywood) and patatē (seven-finger). "
Taawhiao
(Te Kōpu High School)
“Kia niwha te ngākau ki ngā mahi atawhai ki te iwi”
A heart that is resolute will care for a community.
"Kua whakaturia e hau tēnei tāonga hei awhina i te pani, i te pouaru, i te rawakore. He kuaha whanui kua puare ki te puna tangata me te puna kai.
"I have instituted this gathering to feed the widowed, the bereaved and the destitute, it is a doorway that has been opened to the multitudes of people and the bounty of food.
‘Kei te haere mai te wa, ka puta mai i taku pito ake, he wahine, he urukehu, mana hei whakatutuki i tenei oranga.’
‘The time is coming when from my loins a woman will come of fair complexion. She will pave the way to the fulfilment of this recovery.’
Residence of the Maaori King
This etching of Whatiwhatihoe, the residence of the Māori King, was made by Edward Payton in about 1887or1888. Mt Pirongia can be seen in the background. (National Library of NZ)
Whatiwhatihoe, the Māori King's home, 1884. (National Library of NZ)
An old man and a young girl pose for photographer Alfred Burton at King Tāwhiao's Whatiwhatihoe pā in 1885. Another girl stands drinking in the doorway of the nearest raupō (bulrush) whare. Burton took a number of photographs of the pā and its inhabitants during his visit to the region. (National Library of NZ)
Tāwhiao's residence at Whatiwhatihoe, under Mt Pirongia (NZ History)