Ngāti Mutunga is a
Māori iwi
Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English.
...
(tribe) of
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
, whose original
tribal lands were in north
Taranaki
Taranaki is a regions of New Zealand, region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano Mount Taranaki, Taranaki Maunga, formerly known as Mount Egmont.
The main centre is the ...
. They migrated, first to
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...
(with
Ngāti Toa
Ngāti Toa, also called Ngāti Toarangatira or Ngāti Toa Rangatira, is a Māori people, Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) based in the southern North Island and the northern South Island of New Zealand. Ngāti Toa remains a small iwi with a population of ...
and other Taranaki
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 ...
), and then to the
Chatham Islands
The Chatham Islands ( ; Moriori language, Moriori: , 'Misty Sun'; ) are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about east of New Zealand's South Island, administered as part of New Zealand, and consisting of about 10 islands within an approxima ...
(along with
Ngāti Tama
Ngāti Tama is a Māori people, Māori iwi, tribe of New Zealand. Their origins, according to oral tradition, date back to Tama Ariki, the chief navigator on the Tokomaru (canoe), Tokomaru waka (canoe), waka. Their historic region is in north Tar ...
) in the 1830s. The ''rohe'' of the iwi include the Chatham Islands
and part of north Taranaki. The principal
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 ...
are at
Urenui in Taranaki, and on the Chatham Islands.
The eponymous ancestor Mutunga, from whom Ngāti Mutunga claims its lineage, is a grandfather of Toa-rangatira, the eponymous ancestor of the
Ngāti Toa
Ngāti Toa, also called Ngāti Toarangatira or Ngāti Toa Rangatira, is a Māori people, Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) based in the southern North Island and the northern South Island of New Zealand. Ngāti Toa remains a small iwi with a population of ...
tribe.
“Mai Titoki ki Te Rau o Te Huia” saying, mentions their northern boundary with Ngāti Tama (Titoki), and southern boundary with
Te Āti Awa
Te Āti Awa or Te Ātiawa is a Māori iwi with traditional bases in the Taranaki and Wellington regions of New Zealand. Approximately 17,000 people registered their affiliation to Te Āti Awa in 2001, with about 10,000 in Taranaki, 2,000 in We ...
(Te Rau o Te Huia).
History
Leaving Taranaki for Wellington
Ngāti Mutunga's original territory, in north Taranaki, was invaded by Waikato tribes during the
Musket Wars
The Musket Wars were a series of as many as 3,000 battles and raids fought throughout New Zealand (including the Chatham Islands) among Māori people, Māori between 1806 and 1845, after Māori first obtained muskets and then engaged in an inte ...
after a series of longstanding intertribal wars stretching back to at least 1807.
[Kelly, L. ''Tainui''.] Ngāti Mutunga in turn joined with
Ngāti Toa
Ngāti Toa, also called Ngāti Toarangatira or Ngāti Toa Rangatira, is a Māori people, Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) based in the southern North Island and the northern South Island of New Zealand. Ngāti Toa remains a small iwi with a population of ...
and the smaller
Ngāti Tama
Ngāti Tama is a Māori people, Māori iwi, tribe of New Zealand. Their origins, according to oral tradition, date back to Tama Ariki, the chief navigator on the Tokomaru (canoe), Tokomaru waka (canoe), waka. Their historic region is in north Tar ...
tribe to invade the
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...
region. There they fought and defeated the
Ngāti Ira iwi, took over their land and extinguished their independent existence. The north Taranaki land came under the mana of the great Waikato chief
Te Wherowhero until sold to the government.
Settlement of the Chatham Islands
Ngāti Mutunga lived an uneasy existence in the Wellington region, where they were threatened by tensions between Ngāti Toa and
Ngāti Raukawa. In Te Whanganui a Tara (Wellington) they felt less than secure. They burnt the bones of their ancestors and gifted their land to
Te Atiawa and Ngāti Tama. In November 1835 about 900 Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama people migrated to the Chatham Islands in two sailings on the ship ''Lord Rodney''. They had originally planned to settle either
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...
or the
Norfolk Islands but in a meeting at Wellington in 1835 decided to settle the Chatham Islands due to their proximity. The incoming Māori were initially cared for by local
Moriori
The Moriori are the first settlers of the Chatham Islands ( in Moriori language, Moriori; in Māori language, Māori). Moriori are Polynesians who came from the New Zealand mainland around 1500 AD, which was close to the time of the ...
. When it became clear that the visitors intended to stay, the Moriori gathered at their marae at Te Awapatiki to debate what to do about the Māori invaders. The Moriori decided on a policy of non-aggression. Moriori had forgone the killing of people in the centuries leading up to the arrival of the Māori, instead settling quarrels up to 'first blood', a cultural practice known as 'Nunuku's Law'. The development of this pragmatic dispute settlement process left Moriori wholly unprepared to deal with the Ngāti Tama and Ngāti Mutunga settlers who came from a significantly different and more aggressive culture.
Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama saw the meeting as a possible precursor to warfare on the part of Moriori. They attacked and
massacred over 260 Moriori. A Moriori survivor recalled: "
he Māoricommenced to kill us like sheep...
ewere terrified, fled to the bush, concealed ourselves in holes underground, and in any place to escape our enemies. It was of no avail; we were discovered and killed – men, women and children – indiscriminately." A Māori chief, Te Rakatau Katihe, said: "We took possession ... in accordance with our custom, and we caught all the people. Not one escaped. Some ran away from us, these we killed; and others also we killed – but what of that? It was in accordance with our custom." Despite the Chatham Islands being made part of New Zealand in 1842, Māori kept Moriori slaves until 1863.
Before Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama took their two sailings to the Chatham Islands they agreed that the land would not be divided until all had arrived,
so that the first arrivals did not get an unfair advantage. However, the first shipload of arrivals, who were mainly Ngāti Tama, did not wait, and proceeded to claim the best areas, which were at
Waitangi and Kaingaroa. When the second shipload arrived at
Whangaroa, mostly Ngāti Mutunga and their chiefs Patukawenga and
Pōmare, they were unhappy with had happened, but settled at Whangaroa. In 1839–40
Ngāti Mutunga besieged Ngāti Tama in their
pā
The word pā (; often spelled pa in English) can refer to any Māori people, Māori village or defensive settlement, but often refers to hillforts – fortified settlements with palisades and defensive :wikt:terrace, terraces – and also to fo ...
at Waitangi and after several months drove them out of Waitangi to other parts of
Chatham Island
Chatham Island ( ) ( Moriori: , 'Misty Sun'; ) is the largest island of the Chatham Islands group, in the south Pacific Ocean off the eastern coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is said to be "halfway between the equator and the pole, a ...
.
Gold prospectors allowed on rohe
In the mid-1870s Ngāti Mutunga in Taranaki allowed gold prospectors to search the
Mokau River valley for signs of gold. The Mokau River formed the boundary between this iwi and the
Ngāti Maniapoto rohe, which was in a struggle with the
Māori king
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 Co ...
(who claimed mana over Rohe Potae).
Te Kooti (who had been given sanctuary by the Maniapoto fighting chief
Rewi Maniapoto, against the express wishes of the Māori king), was allowed to go to the river mouth for seafood. Te Kooti tried to form an alliance with a local
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 ...
to drive out the prospectors and their Ngāti Mutunga guardians.
Treaty of Waitangi claims settlement for Taranaki
During the conflict in Taranaki over land in the 1860s and subsequently, Ngāti Mutunga left en masse from the Chatham Islands, joined with other iwi in rebelling against the Crown's decision to purchase land from Māori. This led to at least 23 Ngāti Mutunga taking part in the
Parihaka
Parihaka is a community in the Taranaki region of New Zealand, located between Mount Taranaki and the Tasman Sea. In the 1870s and 1880s the settlement, then reputed to be the largest Māori people, Māori village in New Zealand, became the centre ...
occupation of disputed land and their subsequent arrest. In 1865 Ngāti Mutunga land was confiscated under the
New Zealand Settlements Act 1863. However provision was made for Ngāti Mutunga people who had not rebelled by the returning of of land, and then in 1870 a further . The land was returned to individuals. The later land was mainly inland and most was sold. It is unknown how many Ngāti Mutunga existed in the rohe as many had taken part in the invasion of the Chatham Islands. Based on the present Ngāti Mutunga population of 2,000 (c. 2007) it was possibly about 200.
In 1926–1927 the
Sim Commission investigated various Taranaki claims and resolved that wrong had been done and awarded £5000 per annum to be paid. It is claimed that this was paid irregularly during the 1930s economic depression. In 2005–2006 a Deed of Settlement to settle outstanding
Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi (), sometimes referred to as ''Te Tiriti'', is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, Constitution of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos. It has played a major role in the tr ...
issues was signed by Ngāti Mutunga after being endorsed by 95% of those Ngāti Mutunga eligible to vote. This settlement awarded $14.9 million and 10 areas of land of cultural significance to Ngāti Mutunga.
Treaty of Waitangi claims settlement for Chatham Islands
On 25 November 2022, Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri and the New Zealand Government/Crown signed an "agreement in principle" for settlement of historical Treaty of Waitangi claims. The Crown acknowledged that it had failed to consult the iwi/tribe during its annexation of the Chathams Islands in 1842. The "agreement in principle" includes a financial redress of NZ$13 million, the option to transfer culturally significant lands to the iwi as "cultural redress," and shared redress between the iwi and Moriori.
Organisations
Te Korimako o Taranaki is the radio station of Ngāti Mutunga and other Taranaki region iwi, including
Ngāti Tama
Ngāti Tama is a Māori people, Māori iwi, tribe of New Zealand. Their origins, according to oral tradition, date back to Tama Ariki, the chief navigator on the Tokomaru (canoe), Tokomaru waka (canoe), waka. Their historic region is in north Tar ...
,
Te Atiawa,
Ngati Maru,
Taranaki
Taranaki is a regions of New Zealand, region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano Mount Taranaki, Taranaki Maunga, formerly known as Mount Egmont.
The main centre is the ...
,
Ngāruahine
Ngāruahine is a Māori people, Māori iwi of New Zealand located in South Taranaki, North Island.
Treaty settlement
A Treaty of Waitangi claims and settlements, treaty settlement was signed with the Crown in 2014. Following ratification of the ...
,
Ngāti Ruanui,
Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi. It started at the
Bell Block campus of
Taranaki Polytechnic in 1992, and moved to the
Spotswood campus in 1993.
It is available on across Taranaki.
Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri Iwi Trust has a mandate recognised by the New Zealand Government to represent Ngāti Mutunga of the Chatham Islands in
Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi (), sometimes referred to as ''Te Tiriti'', is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, Constitution of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos. It has played a major role in the tr ...
settlement negotiations. The trust is also a mandated iwi organisation under the Māori Fisheries Act 2004, an iwi aquaculture organisation under the Māori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act 2004, a
Tūhono
Tūhono is an advocacy network for Māori groups and individuals within New Zealand.
As well as forming a network linking different iwi and hapū, Tūhono aims to promote cultural and spiritual wellbeing and benefit to the Māori community and ...
organisation, and represents the Chatham Islands branch of the iwi as an iwi authority under the Resource Management Act. It is a common law trust, and is governed by one representative from the
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 ...
, one representative from the
South Island
The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...
and five representatives from the Chatham Islands.
, the trust chair is Deena Whaitiri.
Notable people
*
George Bertrand, soldier
*
Christine Harvey, tā moko artist
*
Te Rangi Hīroa, doctor, military leader, health administrator, politician, anthropologist and museum director
*
Rachel House, actress
*
Miriama Kamo
Miriama Jennet Kamo (born 19 October 1973) is a New Zealand journalist, children's author and television presenter. She currently presents TVNZ's Māori language, Māori current affairs programme Marae (TV series), ''Marae'' and presented the cu ...
, journalist and TV presenter
*
Christine Kenney, professor of disaster risk reduction
*
Māui Pōmare, doctor and politician
*
Howie Tamati, rugby league player and coach and politician
*
Kevin Tamati, rugby league player and coach
*
Kahe Te Rau-o-te-rangi, leader, trader and innkeeper
*
Brendon Tuuta, rugby league player
See also
*
List of Māori iwi
References
External links
Ngāti Mutunga websiteNgāti Mutunga o Wharekauri Iwi Trust website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ngati Mutunga
Iwi and hapū