Ōpōtiki District
Ōpōtiki District is a Districts of New Zealand, territorial authority district in the eastern Bay of Plenty Region on the North Island of New Zealand. It stretches from Kutarere and the eastern shore of Ōhiwa Harbour in the west to Cape Runaw ...
and
Bay of Plenty Region
The Bay of Plenty Region is a Regions of New Zealand, local government region in the North Island of New Zealand. Also called just the Bay of Plenty (BOP), it is situated around the Bay of Plenty, marine bight of that same name. The bay was name ...
of New Zealand's
North Island
The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...
.
History
Hāwai is in the ''
rohe
The Māori people of New Zealand use the word ' to describe the territory or boundaries of tribes (, although some divide their into several .
Background
In 1793, chief Tuki Te Terenui Whare Pirau who had been brought to Norfolk Island drew ...
'' (traditional tribal area) of
Te Whānau-ā-Apanui
Te Whānau-ā-Apanui is a Māori iwi (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 history
During the 17th ce ...
.
Te Whānau ā Apanui placed a ''
rāhui
In Māori culture, a rāhui is a form of tapu restricting access to, or use of, an area or resource by the kaitiaki (guardian/s) of the area in the spirit of '' kaitiakitanga''. With the passing of the 1996 Fisheries Act, a rāhui was able to ...
'' on over 130 kilometres of coastline, west from Hāwai, following the 2019 Whakaari / White Island eruption.
During the 2020 coronavirus lockdown, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui set up road checkpoints to monitor and restrict travel into and through Hāwai. The restrictions were supported by
Ōpōtiki District Council
Ōpōtiki District Council or Opotiki District Council () is the territorial authority for the Ōpōtiki District of New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses ...
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', the checkpoints operated 24 hours a day, unlike checkpoints set up by other iwi in other settlements.
The restrictions lasted 47 days, from 12pm on 25 March until the delivery of a
karakia
Karakia are Māori incantations and prayer used to invoke spiritual guidance and protection.
Te Whānau-ā-Apanui also set up initiatives during the lockdown to ensure elderly residents of Hāwai had access to essentials.
Marae
The settlement has two
marae
A ' (in Māori language, New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian language, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan language, Tongan), ' (in Marquesan language, Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan language, Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves reli ...
of
Te Whānau-ā-Apanui
Te Whānau-ā-Apanui is a Māori iwi (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 history
During the 17th ce ...
.
* Maraenui Marae is a meeting place for the
hapū
In Māori language, 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 ...
of Te Whānau a Hikarukutai; its meeting house is called Te Iwarau.
* Tunapahore Marae is a meeting place for the hapū of Te Whānau a Haraawaka; its meeting house is called Haraawaka.
Education
Te Kura Mana Maori Maraenui is a co-educational Māori language immersion state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of as of .