Pipiriki on the Whanganui River, with river boats moored on the bank

Pipiriki is a settlement in New Zealand, on the east bank of the

Whanganui River The Whanganui River is a major river in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the country's third-longest river, and has special status owing to its importance to the region's Māori people. In March 2017 it became the world's second natura ...

, due west of the town of

Raetihi Raetihi, a small town in the center of New Zealand's North Island, is located at the junction of State Highways 4 and 49 in the Manawatū-Whanganui region. It lies in a valley between Tongariro and Whanganui National Parks, 11 kilometres west ...

and upriver from

Whanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whangan ...

; it was originally on the opposite bank. It is the home of

Ngāti Kura Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...

, a

hapū In Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief and normally opera ...

of the

Ngāti Ruanui Ngāti Ruanui is a Māori iwi traditionally based in the Taranaki region of New Zealand. In the 2006 census, 7,035 people claimed affiliation to the iwi. However, most members now live outside the traditional areas of the iwi. History Early hist ...

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...

. It is also the location of the Paraweka Marae of the hapū Ngāti Kurawhatia of the iwi Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi. In the 1840s Pipiriki was a large stockaded settlement, the second largest on the Whanganui River, consisting of eight pā with a total population of 250–300. Wheat was a major crop from 1848 onward, and the water-powered Kaukore flour mill was built in 1854. In 1865 three

redoubt A redoubt (historically redout) is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, although some are constructed of stone or brick. It is meant to protect soldi ...

s across the river were besieged for several weeks by

Pai Mārire The Pai Mārire movement (commonly known as Hauhau) was a syncretic Māori religion founded in Taranaki by the prophet Te Ua Haumēne. It flourished in the North Island from about 1863 to 1874. Pai Mārire incorporated biblical and Māori spiritual ...

warriors. Pipiriki was an important part of the riverboat trade in the 1890s–1920s, marking a major stop for paddle steamers making the 11-hour journey from Whanganui. There are four

marae A ' (in New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan), ' (in Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies. In all these languages, the term a ...

in the Pipiriki area affiliated with local

and

: * Kirikiriroa Marae and Kirikiriroa meeting house are affiliated with the

Ngāti Hāua Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...

hapū of Ngāti Ruru. * Paraweka Marae and Pire Kiore meeting house are affiliated with Ngāti Kurawhatia. * Te Poti Marae and Te Koanga Rehua meeting house and affiliated with

Ngāti Tūhoro Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...

. * Tawhata Marae and Te Hinau meeting house are affiliated with

Ngāti Rangitengaue Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...

, Ngāti Tū, and the

hapū of

and Ngāti Tū.

Notable people

* Andy Anderson, riverboat skipper *

Hōri Pukehika Hōri Pukehika (23 March 1851– 30 May 1932) was a New Zealand tribal leader and carver. Of Māori descent, he was born in Pipiriki, New Zealand. His father was Te Wikirini Te Tua of Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi iwi, while his mother was Pe ...

, tribal leader and carver, was born at Pipiriki in 1851 * Rumatiki Ruth Wright, Māori welfare officer and community leader

References

Populated places in Manawatū-Whanganui Settlements on the Whanganui River {{ManawatuWanganui-geo-stub