Whakatōhea is a

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

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 ...

located in the eastern

Bay of Plenty The Bay of Plenty ( mi, Te Moana-a-Toi) is a region of New Zealand, situated around a bight of the same name in the northern coast of the North Island. The bight stretches 260 km from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runawa ...

region of

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. The iwi is traditionally centred in the area around the town of

Ōpōtiki Ōpōtiki (; from ''Ōpōtiki-Mai-Tawhiti'') is a small town in the eastern Bay of Plenty in the North Island of New Zealand. It houses the headquarters of the Ōpōtiki District Council and comes under the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Ge ...

. The traditional territorial lands extend eastwards from Ohiwa Harbour to Opape along the coastline, and inland to Matawai. These lands have long held an abundance of food resources, particularly seafood. Most of the

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 ...

of the iwi are located near the coast, historically to defend its marine resources. In the 2006 Census, 12,072 people claimed an affiliation with Whakatōhea.

History

Pre-European history

One of Whakatōhea's earliest ancestors was Chief Tarawa and his brother Tuwharanui had been left behind when the ''Te Tohorā''

waka Waka may refer to: Culture and language * Waka (canoe), a Polynesian word for canoe; especially, canoes of the Māori of New Zealand ** Waka ama, a Polynesian outrigger canoe ** Waka hourua, a Polynesian ocean-going canoe ** Waka taua, a Māori w ...

left Hawaiki, and so built '' Te Arautauta'' waka to join the rest of their people in New Zealand. They arrived at Paerātā, east of the Waiōtahe River. Tarawa released two pet tanahanaha fish into a spring on the eastern bluff above Waiotahe Beach, which came to be known as ''Ōpōtiki-mai-tawhiti''. Tarawa continued up the Mōtū River and married Manawa-ki-aitu. The tribe's next prominent ancestor was Tautūrangi of his own Te Wakanui tribe, who arrived with the ''

Nukutere ''Nukutere'' was one of the Māori migration canoes that brought Polynesian migrants to New Zealand. ''Nukutere'' is one of the lesser known canoes. However, the descendants of the ''Nukutere'' migrants can be found in Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Porou ...

'' waka around 26 generations before 1900CE. It made landfall on a rocky cove and was moored to a flat white rock now known as ''Te Rangi''. Tautūrangi then sailed the waka around to Te Kōtukutuku and went ashore, where he went up the Waiaua Valley to a high point named Kapuarangi where he installed his

atua Atua are the gods and spirits of the Polynesian peoples such as the Māori mythology, Māori or the Hawaiian religion, Hawaiians (see also ); the Polynesian languages, Polynesian word literally means "power" or "strength" and so the concept is s ...

, Tamaīwaho. Nine generations after the arrival of ''Nukutere'', the next waka to arrive was ''

Mātaatua ''Mātaatua'' was one of the great voyaging canoes by which Polynesians migrated to New Zealand, according to Māori tradition. Māori traditions say that the ''Mātaatua'' was initially sent from Hawaiki to bring supplies of kūmara to Māori ...

'' which landed at

Whakatāne Whakatāne ( , ) is the seat of the Bay of Plenty region in the North Island of New Zealand, east of Tauranga and north-east of Rotorua, at the mouth of the Whakatāne River. Whakatāne District is the encompassing territorial authority, whi ...

with

kūmara The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the bindweed or morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable. The young shoot ...

, and carried the ancestress Muriwai, the eldest daughter of Wekanui and Irākewa whose other two children, sons, were Toroa and Puhi. The three siblings also had a half brother, Tāneatua. In Te Whakatōhea's traditions Muriwai spoke the famous words , or , which is roughly translated to "make me stand like a man" as ''Mātaatua'' was being swept back out to sea, while Muriwai's brothers and their men were scouting the land. It was these words that gave her the right to pull the waka back to safety, and from these words being spoken at the landing place that ''Whakatane'' gets its name. Toroa's daughter Wairaka was an ancestress of

Ngāti Awa Ngāti Awa is a Māori iwi (tribe) centred in the eastern Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand. It is made of 22 hapū (subtribes), with 15,258 people claiming affiliation to the iwi in 2006. The Ngāti Awa people are primarily located in towns ...

and

Ngāi Tūhoe Ngāi Tūhoe (), often known simply as Tūhoe, is a Māori iwi of New Zealand. It takes its name from an ancestral figure, Tūhoe-pōtiki. ''Tūhoe'' is a Māori-language word meaning "steep" or "high noon". Tūhoe people also bear the sobriquet ...

. Muriwai's son Rēpanga went to Ōpōtiki and married Ngāpoupereta, their descendant Ruatakena became the ancestor of

Ngāti Rua 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 ...

takena. Muriwai's daughter Hine-i-kauia followed Rēpanga and married Tūtāmure, born eight generations after Tautūrangi's arrival in New Zealand. He established the eastern boundary between the tribes of Te Wakanui and

Ngāi Tai 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 ...

Tōrere Tōrere, previously known as Torere, is a small settlement in the Ōpōtiki District of the Bay of Plenty Region on New Zealand's North Island. It is the ancestral home of the Ngāitai people. One of the area's largest businesses is Torere Maca ...

, and inland from Te Rangi cove to Ōroi. He led an attack against

Ngāti Kahungunu Ngāti Kahungunu is a Māori iwi located along the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The iwi is traditionally centred in the Hawke's Bay and Wairārapa regions. The tribe is organised into six geographical and administrative di ...

pā The word pā (; often spelled pa in English) can refer to any Māori village or defensive settlement, but often refers to hillforts – fortified settlements with palisades and defensive terraces – and also to fortified villages. Pā sites o ...

at Maungakāhia to avenge the murder of his sister Tāneroa, murdered by her husband. Tautūrangi's attacks were so vicious that he broke his weapon, a

mere Mere may refer to: Places * Mere, Belgium, a village in East Flanders * Mere, Cheshire, England * Mere, Wiltshire, England People * Mere Broughton (1938–2016), New Zealand Māori language activist and unionist * Mere Smith, American televisi ...

, and had to swap it for another more durable mere made of whalebone. With this he smashed the heads of his enemies, and buried them in the ground. For this his people became known as Te Panenehu ("the buried heads"). Tautūrangi established the Poutōtara pā inland at Waiaua to defend against further attacks from Ngāti Kahungunu. The ancestral house at Omarumutu marae is named ''Tutamure'' and the dining room is named ''Hine-i-kauia'', and behind the marae Tautūrangi occupied another pā on the Mākeo hill. Their descendants would become Te Whakatōhea. Tautūrangi's western counterpart was Kahuki of the Whakatāne hapū. Kahuki conquered the nearby territory in revenge for the killing of his father Rongopopoia, after which he returned to Waiōtahe and constructed a pā close to the river. Whakatāne and Ngāti Raumoa, including the Te Ūpokorehe hapū, were living on Waiōtahe and Ōhiwa land which were under Kahuki's control. Te Ūpokorehe were subjected to attacks from Ngāti Awa on the western border, and sought refuge at Ōpōtiki. Ngāti Awa and their ally Ngāi Tūhoe would meet with Whakatōhea and their chief Te Rupe for one final battle at

Ōhope Ōhope, until 1974 known as Ohope Beach, is a beach settlement in the eastern Bay of Plenty, on the northeast coast of the North Island of New Zealand, six kilometres east and over the hill, from Whakatāne. Name The New Zealand Ministry for Cu ...

. Te Rupe was able to boost his peoples' moral with the

haka Haka (; plural ''haka'', in both Māori and English) are a variety of ceremonial performance art in Māori culture. It is often performed by a group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically shouted or chanted accompani ...

''Te kōtiritiri te kōtaratara'', and won the battle. Before the arrival of the Europeans, the final, defining battle against Ngāi Tai was done at Awahou under Punāhamoa's leadership. Ngāi Tai's leader Tūterangikūrei was killed, and his head preserved as a trophy. Ngāi Tai were able to take Tūterangikūrei's head back in exchange for the

pounamu Pounamu is a term for several types of hard and durable stone found in southern New Zealand. They are highly valued in New Zealand, and carvings made from pounamu play an important role in Māori culture. Name The Māori word , also used ...

adze An adze (; alternative spelling: adz) is an ancient and versatile cutting tool similar to an axe but with the cutting edge perpendicular to the handle rather than parallel. Adzes have been used since the Stone Age. They are used for smoothing ...

Waiwharangi, which today is held in the Whakatāne Museum.

Modern history

The iwi initially had good relations with European settlers and Christian missionaries. However, in 1865, following the murder of German missionary

Carl Völkner Carl may refer to: *Carl, Georgia, city in USA *Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community * Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name *Carl², a TV series * "Carl", an episode of te ...

, and with increasing demands from European settlers for more land, Crown soldiers invaded Te Whakatōhea land. Almost 600 km² of Whakatōhea land was confiscated by the Crown under the New Zealand Settlements Act of 1863. During the twentieth century there was increasing recognition that Whakatōhea had suffered grievances at the hands of the Crown. In 1996, the New Zealand government signed a Deed of Settlement, acknowledging and apologising for the invasion and confiscation of Whakatōhea lands, and the subsequent economic, cultural and developmental devastation suffered by the iwi. Whakatōhea are presently preparing to negotiate a full settlement with the New Zealand government. Tuiringa Manny Mokomoko, an activist for tūpuna who died in 1866, received a Royal Pardon in 1992 over wrongful confiscation of Māori land.

Hapū and marae

Whakatōhea consists of about 17,000 whānau belonging to six hapū. The status of

Te Ūpokorehe Te Ūpokorehe is a Māori tribal group located in the eastern Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand. There is currently a dispute over whether it is a hapū (sub-tribe) of Whakatōhea or an iwi (tribe) in its own right. The rohe (tribal area) o ...

, a tribal group covering an area between Ohope and

, is in dispute. It was included as a hapū within Whakatōhea when the Whakatōhea Maori Trust Board was established in 1952. Some consider it part of Whakatōhea and want it to be part of the iwi's

Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi ( mi, Te Tiriti o Waitangi) is a document of central importance to the history, to the political constitution of the state, and to the national mythos of New Zealand. It has played a major role in the treatment of the M ...

settlement, while others consider it a separate iwi and want it to have its own

Waitangi Tribunal The Waitangi Tribunal (Māori: ''Te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi'') is a New Zealand permanent commission of inquiry established under the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975. It is charged with investigating and making recommendations on cla ...

hearing and settlement.

Governance

The Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board was established in 1952 to administer the assets of the iwi, and provides members with education, health services and training in various commercial fields. It is a charitable trust governed by two representatives from each of the six hapū, and based in Ōpōtiki. It is also accountable to the Minister of Maori Affairs and is governed by the Maori Trust Boards Act. The trust represents the tribe's fisheries interest under the Māori Fisheries Act 2004, and its aquaculture interests under the Māori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act 2004. It represents the tribe during consultation on resource consent applications under the

Resource Management Act 1991 The Resource Management Act (RMA) passed in 1991 in New Zealand is a significant, and at times, controversial Act of Parliament. The RMA promotes the sustainable management of natural and physical resources such as land, air and water. New Zea ...

. The Whakatōhea Pre-Settlement Claims Trust represents the tribe during

settlement negotiations. The

New Zealand Government , background_color = #012169 , image = New Zealand Government wordmark.svg , image_size=250px , date_established = , country = New Zealand , leader_title = Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern , appointed = Governor-General , main_organ = , ...

recognised the trust's mandate to represent the iwi with an Agreement in Principle signed with the Crown on 18 August 2017. The trust is governed by one trustee elected from each of six hapū, one trustee appointed from each of eight marae, and an additional trustee appointed by Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board. The trust is administered by the same staff as the trust board, in the same offices in Ōpōtiki. Roimata Marae say they aren't represented on the trusts and the trusts cannot act on their behalf. The tribal area of Whakatōhea is located within the boundaries of

Ōpōtiki District Council Ōpōtiki District Council or Opotiki District Council ( mi, Te Kaunihera o Ōpōtiki) is the territorial authority for the Ōpōtiki District of New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific ...

and

Bay of Plenty Regional Council Bay of Plenty Regional Council is the administrative body responsible for overseeing regional land use, environmental management and civil defence in the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island. It was founded as part of the 1989 New Z ...

Media

Pan-tribal iwi station

Sea 92FM The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. The word sea is also used to denote second-order sections of the sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, ...

broadcasts to members of Whakatōhea,

Ngāitai Ngāitai is a Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) centred around Tōrere in the eastern Bay of Plenty of New Zealand. See also *List of Maori iwi This is a list of iwi (New Zealand Māori tribes). List of iwi This list includes groups recognised as iwi ( ...

and

Te Whānau-ā-Apanui Te Whānau-ā-Apanui is a Māori iwi (Iwi is the Maori word for tribe) located in the eastern Bay of Plenty and East Coast regions of New Zealand's North Island. In 2006, the iwi registered 11,808 members, representing 13 hapū. History Early ...

in the

area. It is operated by pan-tribal service provider Whakaatu Whanaunga Trust, and is available on . It operates the low-power Opotiki 88.1 FM, geared towards a young demographic.

Notable people

* Tuakana Aporotanga, tribal leader and ringatu tohunga *

Te Raumoa Balneavis Henare Raumoa Te Huatahi Balneavis (26 March 1880 – 13 May 1940) was a New Zealand interpreter, private secretary and public administrator of Māori descent. Through his mother Te Rina Matewai he was connected to Ngai Tamanuhiri, Ngati ...

, interpreter and administrator *

Whirimako Black Whirimako Black (born ) is a New Zealand Māori recording artist and actress. Black sings mostly in the Māori language, uses traditional Māori musical forms and collaborates with traditional taonga pūoro instruments. Her musical achievement ...

, singer and actress * Tangimoe Clay, weaver and textile artist *

Pāora Kīngi Delamere Pāora Kīngi Delamere (1889 – 19 December 1981) was a New Zealand carpenter, boat builder, farmer and ringatu leader. Of Māori descent, he identified with the Te Whakatōhea and Te Whānau-ā-Apanui iwi. He was born in Whitianga, East Cape ...

, carpenter and boat-builder *

Matiu Dickson Matiu Dickson, (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Te Whakatōhea, May 1952 – 7 April 2016), was born in Te Puke and grew up in a small Māori community on Matakana Island at the entrance to Tauranga Harbour in New Zealand. Matiu Dickson was A ...

, academic and politician * George Gage, Ringatū minister *

Wira Gardiner Sir Harawira Tiri Gardiner (4 September 1943 – 17 March 2022) was a New Zealand soldier, public servant, and writer. He was Māori, of Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Pikiao, Whakatōhea, and Te Whānau-ā-Apanui descent. Early life and personal Gardine ...

, soldier, civil servant and writer *

Ākenehi Hei Ākenehi Hei (c.1878–28 November 1910), sometimes called Agnes Hei, was a Māori district nurse and midwife in New Zealand. She was the first Māori to become a qualified nurse. Nursing during a typhoid epidemic, she too caught the disease ...

, nurse and midwife *

Kayla Imrie Kayla Imrie (born 4 February 1992) is a New Zealand canoeist. She represented New Zealand at the 2016 Summer Olympics. She competed alongside Jaimee Lovett, Caitlin Ryan and Aimee Fisher in the Women's K-4 500 metres event. After having tra ...

, canoeist *

Paratene Matchitt Paratene Temokopuorongo Matchitt (10 August 1933 – 19 July 2021) was a New Zealand sculptor and painter, known for combining traditional Māori art forms with those of modernist art. His work also references events from New Zealand history, pa ...

, sculpture and painter * Gareeb Stephen Shalfoon, musician * Charles Shelford, soldier *

Frank Shelford Frank Nuki Ken Shelford (born 16 May 1955) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. A flanker, Shelford represented Bay of Plenty and Hawkes Bay at provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, from 19 ...

, rugby union player * Matiu Te Auripo Te Hau, teacher and community leader * Hira Te Popo, tribal leader * Michael Walker, biologist

References

External links

Opotiki Information Centre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whakatohea Iwi and hapū