Pāpāwai is a historic settlement and

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 ...

located near

Greytown, New Zealand Greytown (), is a rural town in the South Wairarapa District, in the lower North Island of New Zealand. It is by road north-east of Wellington and southwest of Masterton, travelling via New Zealand State Highway 2, State Highway 2. History ...

. In the late 19th century, the marae was an important site of

Te Kotahitanga The Kotahitanga movement was an autonomous Māori parliament convened annually in New Zealand from 1892 until 1902. Though not recognised by the New Zealand Government, the Māori Parliament was an influential body while it lasted. By 1902 its r ...

, the

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 Co ...

parliament movement.

Description

Pāpāwai is located inland, east of Greytown, a rural town in the centre of the

Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service t ...

region of the lower

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 ...

. It is affiliated with the

Ngāti Kahungunu Ngāti Kahungunu is a Māori iwi (tribe) 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 Kahungunu iwi also comprises 86 hapū (sub-tribes ...

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 ...

Ngāti Kahukuranui o Kahungunu Kauiti 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. ...

Ngāti Meroiti 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. ...

and

Ngāti Moe 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. ...

, and the

Rangitāne Rangitāne is a Māori iwi (tribe). Their rohe (territory) is in the Manawatū, Horowhenua, Wairarapa and Marlborough areas of New Zealand. The iwi was formed as one of two divisions (aside from Muaūpoko) of the expedition team led by Wh ...

hapū of

Ngāti Tauiao 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. ...

and Ngāti Tūkoko. The name ''Pāpāwai'' means 'the tears of mother earth'. The marae is listed as a wāhi tūpuna (place important to Māori for its ancestral significance and associated cultural and traditional values) by

Heritage New Zealand Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust; in ) is a Crown entity that advocates for the protection of Archaeology of New Zealand, ancest ...

History

Pāpāwai was established in the 1850s, when the government set aside land for a Māori settlement near Greytown. At the time, the area had a flour mill, school, and newspaper, ''Te Puke ki Hikurangi''. The settlement experienced rapid growth under the leadership of Hāmuera Tamahau Mahupuku in the 1880s. The whare tūpuna (meeting house), ''Hikurangi'', was built in 1888. The marae is surrounded by 18

tōtara ''Podocarpus totara'' (), commonly known as the , is a species of Podocarpus, podocarp tree endemism, endemic to New Zealand. It grows throughout the North Island, South Island and rarely on Stewart Island, Stewart Island / Rakiura in lowland, ...

whakairo Toi whakairo (art carving) or just whakairo (carving) is a Māori traditional art of carving in wood, stone or bone. History Timber was formed into houses, fencepoles, pouwhenua, containers, taiaha, tool handles and waka (canoe). Carving ...

(carved figures), which represented famous individuals at the time, including leader Nukupewapewa and the local

Pākehā ''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...

settler,

William Mein Smith William Mein Smith (also known as Kapene Mete; 1798 – 3 January 1869) was a key figure in the settlement of Wellington, New Zealand. As the Surveyor General for Edward Gibbon Wakefield, Edward Wakefield's New Zealand Company at Port Nichols ...

. Uniquely, the figures faced inwards to represent peace between Māori and Pākehā, rather than looking outwards as they traditionally would. Papawai1897

A larger, T-shaped building was established beside ''Hikurangi'' in time for hosting Te Kotahitanga sittings. This building was composed of two sections. ''Aotea'' was a large meeting hall capable of holding 1,000 people, and ''Te Waipounamu'' was a two-storey building with sleeping quarters on the top floor and a wharekai (dining hall) below, able to seat 300. Meetings for

, the Māori parliament movement, were held at Pāpāwai in 1897 and 1898. At this time, the settlement was home to 3,000 residents, and was known as 'the Māori capital'. Notably, a resolution to end Māori land sales was passed during these meetings, and those gathered were visited by Governor Ranfurly and Premier

Richard Seddon Richard John Seddon (22 June 1845 – 10 June 1906) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 15th premier (prime minister) of New Zealand from 1893 until his death. In office for thirteen years, he is to date New Zealand's longest-ser ...

. The settlement was visited by Minister of Native Affairs Sir Apirana Ngata in 1934 to meet with chiefs from

and

Ngāpuhi Ngāpuhi (also known as Ngāpuhi-Nui-Tonu or Ngā Puhi) is a Māori iwi associated with the Northland regions of New Zealand centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, and Whangārei. According to the 2023 New Zealand census, the estimate ...

, and the mayor of Greytown at the time Henry Thomas Rees. The buildings at Pāpāwai began to fall into disrepair in the 1910s, with the ''Aotea'' and ''Te Waipounamu'' complex damaged by strong winds in 1934. Conservation work began on the whakairo figures in the 1960s, and in the late 1980s these were fully restored. ''Hikurangi'' was moved to become the new meeting house, and the marae is well used by the community today.

References

{{Reflist Marae in New Zealand Māori culture Māori history Populated places in the Wellington Region