Pūtiki
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Putiki is a settlement in the
Whanganui District Whanganui District is one of the districts of New Zealand. It includes the city of Whanganui and surrounding areas. Geography Formerly spelled "Wanganui", the Whanganui District Council resulted from the amalgamation of Wanganui and Waitotara co ...
and Manawatū-Whanganui region 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 ...
, located across 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 natur ...
from
Whanganui Whanganui, also spelt 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. Whanganui is ...
city. It includes the intersection of State Highway 3 and
State Highway 4 Route 4, or Highway 4, may refer to several highways in the following countries: International * AH4, Asian Highway 4 * European route E04 * European route E004 * Cairo – Cape Town Highway Albania * SH-4 road in Albania from Durrës to Ka ...
. The settlement was established around Pūtiki Pā, a tribal meeting ground of
Ngāti Tumango 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 Tupoho 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. ...
. It features Te Paku o Te Rangi meeting house, also known as Aotea meeting house.


History


19th century

Pūtiki Pā, recorded variously as Putiki Wharanui, Putiki Wharenui, Putiki Warenui, or by its full name Putiki-wharanui-a-Tamatea-pokai-whenua, as a well established pā well before European arrival. The settlement was attacked by
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 ...
in a bloody two-month siege in 1828 or 1829. About 400 locals were killed in the encounter. Pūtiki was the main Māori settlement at the Whanganui River mouth when Europeans began settling on the river in the 1840s. Māori from Pūtiki signed a deed of purchase with
Edward Gibbon Wakefield Edward Gibbon Wakefield (20 March 179616 May 1862) was an English politician in colonial Canada and New Zealand. He is considered a key figure in the establishment of the colonies of South Australia and New Zealand (where he later served as a ...
for the Wanganui township, but chiefs later said they did not consider the deed to be significant. A
Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British Anglican mission society working with Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as ...
mission station was established next to the settlement in 1841. Many leaders converted to
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
, including
Hōri Kīngi Te Ānaua Hōri Kīngi Te Ānaua (died 18 September 1868) was a leader of Ngāti Ruaka, a subtribe of Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi ''iwi'' ( Māori tribe) of New Zealand in the early and mid 19th century. He was a leader of the tribes of the Wanganui Ri ...
and
Hoani Wiremu Hīpango Hoani Wiremu Hīpango ( 1820 – 25 February 1865) was a Māori tribal leader, teacher and assessor of the Whanganui River area of New Zealand. He was a leader of Ngāti Tumango, of the Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi iwi. He converted to Christia ...
. Missionary Richard Taylor oversaw the establishment of the region's first mill at Awarua Stream in 1845 (built by Tom Higgie). Wheat was locally grown, milled into flour and used to make bread, a staple of the colonial era diet. Europeans formed the Wanganui township across the river. The people of Pūtiki had strong economic links with the new settlement and had a protective attitude towards it. Pūtiki Māori fought alongside the Crown against Māori further upriver in 1847, capturing six men who had killed local farmer John Alexander Gilfillan's wife Mary and three of their children. They also fought alongside the Crown in 1864, in another battle against upriver
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 sp ...
Māori on
Moutoa Island Moutoa Island is an island of shingle approximately long, up the Whanganui River, New Zealand between the towns of Rānana and Hiruharama. Surrounded by rapids, it has been the site of many battles, the most famous being on 14 May 1864, be ...
, to protect the European township. The following year, European women gave Pūtiki Māori a large flag to celebrate the victory. A photograph held by the
National Library of New Zealand The National Library of New Zealand () is charged with the obligation to "enrich the cultural and economic life of New Zealand and its interchanges with other nations" (National Library of New Zealand (Te Puna Mātauranga) Act 2003). Under the ...
reportedly shows Pūtiki Māori meeting with Governor
George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Gov ...
during a hui at the pā in 1864. In 1986,
Mete Kīngi Paetahi Mete Kīngi Te Rangi Paetahi (c. 1813 – 22 September 1883) was a Member of Parliament in New Zealand. He was one of four Māori elected in the first Māori elections of 1868 for the new Māori electorates in the House of Representatives. P ...
, a
Ngāti Poutama 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. ...
chief from Pūtiki, became the first MP for the
Western Māori Western Maori was one of New Zealand's four original parliamentary Māori electorates established in 1868, along with Northern Maori, Eastern Maori and Southern Maori. In 1996, with the introduction of MMP, the Maori electorates were updated ...
electorate.


20th century

Two platoons
Māori Battalion The 28th (Māori) Battalion, more commonly known as the Māori Battalion (), was a light infantry battalion of the New Zealand Army that served during the Second World War. The battalion was formed following pressure on the Labour government ...
were welcomed back to Pūtiki Pā in May 1919 after fighting in the Gallipoli campaign and on the Western Front during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. They were the only battalion to return to New Zealand as a complete unit, and were welcomed back with rousing parades and receptions across the country. The Moutoa flag from 1865 flew at the event. On 5 December 1937 Bishop F.A. Bennett consecrated Saint Paul's Memorial Church on the site of the original 1841 Christian mission. It was the fifth church on the site; the previous four had been destroyed by fire, by a flood, by an earthquake, and by dry rot. The church was built as a memorial to those who had served the
Anglican Church Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
since the mission was first established. The church is plain and conventional on the outside, but the inside features extensive Māori carvings and artwork.
Sir Āpirana Ngata ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part o ...
brought tutors and student carvers to create the carvings, and four women were sent to Wellington learn harakeke tukutuku weaving patterns. On 22 December 1963 Governor-General Sir Bernard Fergusson unveiled a framed memorial cross at the church, dedicated to local Māori and Europeans who had died in both world wars. Available through the John Kinder Theological Library. The cross is now displayed on the church porch, under a memorial plaque to Te Teira and Henare Metekingi who died in World War I.


21st century

In October 2020, the Government committed $239,367 from the
Provincial Growth Fund Shane Geoffrey Jones (born 3 September 1959) is a New Zealand politician and a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives for the New Zealand First party. Jones' political career began 2005 New Zealand general election, in 2005 as a l ...
to upgrade Pūtiki Pā and associated marae sites, creating 50 jobs.


Demographics

Putiki covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2. Putiki had a population of 666 at the
2018 New Zealand census The 2018 New Zealand census, which took place on Tuesday 6 March 2018, was the thirty-fourth national census in New Zealand. The population of New Zealand was counted as 4,699,755 – an increase of 457,707 (10.79%) over the 2013 census. Resu ...
, an increase of 87 people (15.0%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 72 people (12.1%) since the 2006 census. There were 267 households, comprising 333 males and 333 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.0 males per female. The median age was 49.9 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 102 people (15.3%) aged under 15 years, 93 (14.0%) aged 15 to 29, 321 (48.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 144 (21.6%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 74.3% European/
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 ...
, 34.7%
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 ...
, 2.3% Pacific peoples, 0.9% Asian, and 1.8% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 8.1, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 45.9% had no religion, 41.0% were
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
, 3.2% had
Māori religious beliefs 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 ...
and 1.4% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 78 (13.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 123 (21.8%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $31,100, compared with $31,800 nationally. 69 people (12.2%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 264 (46.8%) people were employed full-time, 96 (17.0%) were part-time, and 15 (2.7%) were unemployed.


Education

Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Atihaunui-A-Paparangi is a co-educational state Māori language immersion primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of as of .


Notable people

*
Hoani Wiremu Hīpango Hoani Wiremu Hīpango ( 1820 – 25 February 1865) was a Māori tribal leader, teacher and assessor of the Whanganui River area of New Zealand. He was a leader of Ngāti Tumango, of the Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi iwi. He converted to Christia ...
, tribal leader and teacher, baptised at Putiki in 1841, buried nearby in 1865 * Ulric Williams (1890–1971), doctor and naturopath


References

{{Whanganui District Suburbs of Whanganui Settlements on the Whanganui River