Te Ūpokorehe 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 Co ...

iwi (tribal group) located in the eastern

Bay of Plenty The Bay of Plenty () is a large bight (geography), bight along the northern coast of New Zealand's North Island. It stretches from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runaway in the east. Called ''Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi'' (the Ocean ...

region 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 ...

. There is currently a dispute over whether it is a

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 ...

(sub-tribe) of

Whakatōhea Te Whakatōhea is a Māori iwi of the eastern Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand. Their traditional territory extends along the coastline eastwards from Ōhiwa Harbour to Opape, and inland to Mātāwai, and is centred in the area around th ...

or an

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) in its own right. The rohe (tribal area) of Te Ūpokorehe extends form Maraetotara (

Ōhope Ōhope is a coastal town situated on the northeastern coast of the Eastern Bay of Plenty in New Zealand's North Island. It is six kilometres east of Whakatāne, and is located between Ōhiwa Harbour to the south and Ōhope Beach to the north ...

) in the west to the middle of Waioeka River (

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

) in the east, within the boundaries of

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

Whakatāne District Whakatāne District is a territorial authority district on the North Island of New Zealand. The Whakatāne District Council is headquartered in the largest town, Whakatāne. The district falls within the Bay of Plenty Region. Victor Luca has ...

History

Te Ūpokorehe was included as a hapū within Whakatōhea when the Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board was established in 1952. Hapū members were considered part of Whakatōhea, an iwi tracing its heritage back to ancestors arriving on the

waka WAKA (channel 8) is a television station licensed to Selma, Alabama, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for the Montgomery area. It is owned by Bahakel Communications alongside Tuskegee-licensed CW+ affiliate WBMM (channel 22); B ...

(migration canoes) Te Arautauta,

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 Poro ...

and

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 ...

. A schism emerged over time between members of the tribe who considered themselves part of Whakatōhea and those who did not. As of July 2022, more than 700 people have signed a petition seeking to remove Te Ūpokorehe from the Whakatōhea

Treaty of Waitangi settlement Claims and settlements under the Treaty of Waitangi () have been a significant feature of New Zealand politics since the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975 and the Waitangi Tribunal that was established by that act to hear claims. Successive governme ...

, including whānau at Roimata Marae, claiming it would leave the tribe worse off. However, more than 1700 Ūpokorehe people remained registered with Te Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board. Some told media they disagreed with the petition and wanted to remain part of the Whakatōhea settlement.

Marae

Te Ūpokorehe includes the following marae groupings:

Governance

The Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board was established in 1952 to administer the assets of Whakatōhea, 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 Māori Affairs and is governed by the Māori 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 Whakatōhea during

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

New Zealand Government The New Zealand Government () is the central government through which political authority is exercised in New Zealand. As in most other parliamentary democracies, the term "Government" refers chiefly to the executive branch, and more specifica ...

recognised the trust's mandate to represent Whakatōhea, including Te Ūpokorehe, 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. Whānau of Roimata Marae say they aren't represented on the trusts and the trusts cannot act on their behalf. The tribal area of Te Ūpokorehe is located within the boundaries of

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� ...

Whakatāne District Council Whakatāne District Council or Whakatane District Council () is the territorial authority for the Whakatāne District of New Zealand. The council is led by the mayor of Whakatāne, who is currently . There are also 10 ward councillors. Composi ...

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 N ...

Media

Pan-tribal iwi station

Sea 92FM A sea is a large body of salt water. There are particular seas and the sea. The sea commonly refers to the ocean, the interconnected body of seawaters that spans most of Earth. Particular seas are either marginal seas, second-order sections ...

broadcasts to members of Te Ūpokorehe and Whakatōhea, as well as

Ngāitai Ngāitai is a Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) centred around Tōrere in the eastern Bay of Plenty of New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () ...

and

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 ...

, 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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ūpokorehe, Te Iwi and hapū

History

Marae

Governance

Media

See also

References