Mana Whenua

Ko Waiohine ko Ruamāhanga ēnei, e wairua tipu mai i Tararua maunga, e oranga e te iwi

These are Waiohine and Ruamāhanga, they are like mothers milk flowing out of the Tararua mountains, for the prosperity of the people.

Na Whatahoro Jury

Kahungunu ki Wairarapa has a long term plan to work alongside Greater Wellington Regional Council, other iwi and mana whenua entities within the region to promote, “Kia Whakanuia Te Taiao” or “Be involved in making the environment as significant as it should be” can work to recognising our water ways as entities that have legal rights, including the right to be represented by legal council.

Kahungunu ki Wairarapa korero will include our traditional stories, narratives behind known information; the opportunity to tell the narrative of new research; historical recounts; geological events and their effects; current opportunities and problems; future aspirations and future journeys; cultural impact assessments informing decision making. With this we look forward to being a part of co-governance, co-management and co-operational.

Kahungunu ki Wairarapa looks to establishing the post treaty settlement era by showing how we state at all levels “Kia Whakanuia te Whenua” with our korero, especially for our waterways, in these levels:

1. International: Keeping our obligations with respect to Ramsar by informing how repo, or wetlands, and manu, or birds can lead to having significant space for ika, or fish, ngahere, or bush areas, wai, or water and people.

2. National: Contributing to iwi leaders, co-governance and crown research institutes through mahi tuhono or connection work. Setting a legal entity status for types of whenua and wai.

3. Regional: Our stories will be an asset for Greater Wellington through stronger connections to waterways and the whenua through education, representation and understanding.

4. Provincial: Living records, an initiative with Waiohine, Mangatarere and Waipoua for all our waters, surface and ground. Kahungunu ki Wairarapa will set this intergenerational work.

5.District: Iwi reps like poutiriao, or people who understand how to find balance in the environment, leading Putaiao and Pu Taiao through our relationships with Greater Wellington.

Kahungunu ki Wairarapa understands the focus for Greater Wellington is at a regional level, when the taiao within the region is fully appreciated like our wetlands become internationally significant and nationally important. The constant effort needed for this includes;

1. Ruamahanga Whaitua programme is being implemented

2. Te Tai Rawhiti Whaitua has a programme to implement

3. Kaitiaki are trained and fulfilling the Kahu programme to index cultural health

4. Collaborative Cultural Health Monitoring is being formed and advancing ecosystem health

5. The freshwater management units’ limits are being monitored and analysed

6. We have some indicative info from the groundwater survey

7. Establishing mahi tuhono with catchment communities

8. Weaving our korero like the Ruamahanga weaves other waterways encourages Mauri tuhono

Kahungunu ki Wairarapa looks forward to working with Greater Wellington over the course of the Long Term Plan because the opportunities it allows whanau, hapu and iwi. When our taiao or environment is fully appreciated then we will have environmental wellbeing that can proffer social wellbeing, economic wellbeing and cultural wellbeing. As advocates for our whenua we understand that we are advocates for our iwi, Kahungunu ki Wairarapa.

Visit Kahungunu ki Wairarapa's website.

Mai-ararā te maunga o Rangitūmau e tu nei

Mai-ararā te awa o Ruamahanga e tere nei

Mai-ararā whakamaua kia tina

Tina-te-pū

Tina-te-aka

Tina-tamore-i-Hawaiki

Kia kotahi ko te kāhui-ariki

Kia kotahi ko te kāhui-tipua

Kia kotahi ko ngā uri o Rangitāne e tau nei

Haumi ē, Hui ē, Tāiki ē

Rangitāne o Wairarapa are the mokopuna of Rangitāne and uri of the whenua, awa and moana within Wairarapa. However our whakapapa and bones are buried across Te Awakairangi and Te Whanganui-a-Tara.

Restoring the pūrākau and mātauranga of our ātua and tīpuna is vital for our people. The value also extends to our wider community and our environment.

Ensuring we maintain the mauri of Papatūānuku is our top priority. We are kaitiaki and we have a responsibility for the present and future generations to come.

Hinekauorohia – an ātua of sacred waters, is one ātua that has guided us over the past few years and she continues to guide us in our actions.

One of our priorities has been ensuring we support the mauri of our wai. Understanding the true impacts of projects, over allocation and what these will mean for our people and our environment. Through colonisation we have seen the destruction of our waterways through pollution, over allocation and infrastructure based solutions. Future projects seem to be learning nothing from this and it is of massive concern to our people.

The answers to the problems we face in today’s society are still found in our mātauranga. It is vital that Greater Wellington co-designs and supports initiatives with our people. We are not willing to compromise taiao for economic benefit. The health of Papatūānuku, our waterways and ultimately our people and communities is far too important.

We expect Greater Wellington to value and respect our mātauranga as much as their science. This includes supporting financial and ensuring inclusiveness and equitable decision making from the beginning. The equitable decision making and collaborative implementation of initiatives is important.

Rangitāne o Wairarapa has a voice and we will use it to ensure the autonomy of tangata whenua of Wairarapa.

Everything Greater Wellington does, impacts our people. Therefore it is imperative for us as Rangitāne o Wairarapa to be there to make decisions for the betterment of our future generations.

Visit Rangitāne o Wairarapa Inc's website.

Mai Turakirae ki Rimurapa,

Mai Rimurapa ki Remutaka,

Mukamuka ki te Ra Whiti,

Pipinui ki te Ra To.

Ko Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika (Taranaki Whānui) e tohu ana i te kiritōpū o ngā iwi kua mau tonu ki te mana tuku iho me te ahikāroa i te mana whenua o te iwi – ki Te Whanganui-a-Tara me ōna Takiwā.

Ko ngā karangatanga hapū kei roto i Taranaki Whānui ko Ngāti Tama, ko Ngāti Mutunga, ko Ngāti Maru me Te Āti Awa – ko Taranaki – ko Ngāruahinerangi – ko Ngāti Ruanui – ko Ngā Rauru me ētahi atu iwi nō ngā rohe o Taranaki, ko o rātou tūpuna i heke mai ai ki Te Whanganuia-Tara i ngā tau 1820 me ngā tau 30, mai rā anō e mau tonu nei ki te Mana Whenua. He whānui ngā kōrero o nehe me te whanaungatanga tata ki te tāone o Te Whanganui-a-Tara, ā, kua noho hei kaitiaki tuku iho.

I te tau 1839, he mea taki ngā Takiwā o Taranaki Whānui ki te New Zealand Company nā te rangatira, arā, nā Te Wharepōuri, he mea tūtohu whenua i runga i ngā tikanga a te Māori, kei ngā tihi, kei ngā whakaihu.

Ko te Raukura – he tohu maumaharatanga ki ngā mahi ātete a ngā tūpuna ki te Karauna, i runga i te hūmārie. He tohu nō te rongomau, nō te whakaaro nui, nō te tūmanako o te noho mākoha a te iwi Māori tētehi ki tētehi, e mau tonu nei.

Te tū ngātahi – kua mau roa nei te tū ngātahi a Taranaki Whānui me te Pane Matua Taiao i roto i ngā kaupapa maha me ngā aronga tōpū, tae atu ki ngā awa, ki ngā whenua hoki kei roto i ōna Takiwā. Ko te whāinga kiritōpū ia, kia ū tonu iho ai te mana whenua o Taranaki Whānui, ka tiakina, ka mau tonu.

Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika (Taranaki Whānui) represent a collective of iwi who have maintained the traditional mana and ahikāroa occupation of the tribal takiwā territory – Te Whanganui a Tara me ona Takiwā. Taranaki Whānui comprises of people from Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Maru and Te Āti Awa – Taranaki – Ngāruahinerangi – Ngāti Ruanui – Ngā Rauru and other iwi from the Taranaki area, whose ancestors migrated to Wellington in the 1820s and 30s, where they have since held Mana Whenua status. They have a long history and close affiliation with Wellington city and act as its traditional guardians.

Takiwā - Taranaki Whānui Takiwā was recounted to the New Zealand Company by the New Zealand Company by the Rangatira, Te Wharepouri in 1839 and followed the Māori tradition of marking a Takiwā from headland to headland.

Raukura – the raukura is a symbol of remembrance for the deeds of the Māori ancestors who vehemently resisted the Crown via peaceful opposition. It is a symbol which continues to guide the Māori people today with wisdom and hope for a peaceful co-existence.

Partnership – Taranaki Whānui has a long established partnership with Greater Wellington Regional Council through its many projects and shared interests, including awa and whenua that fall within its Takiwā. We have a collective aim to ensure the identity and presence of Taranaki Whānui as mana whenua, is protected and upheld.

Visit Taranaki Whānui's website. 

Ko Whitireia te maunga

Ko Parirua te awa

Ko Raukawakawa te moana

Ko Ngāti Toa te iwi

Ngāti Toa have a complex provenance of Iwi history, culminating in our presence and assertion of mana whenua in the Porirua region. Beginning with the arrival of the Tainui waka at Kāwhia and the residence of Ngāti Toa in the environs of the Kāwhia harbour for centuries, the Ngāti Toa Iwi under the leadership of Te Rauparaha initiated an epic migration south resulting in the re-settlement of the entire Iwi in the Cook Strait area.

He uaua ngā kōrero mō te takenga mai o te iwi, o Ngāti Toa.  He mea whakaharahara te ihi me te meatanga atu o tōna mana whenua ki Porirua. Kia tīmata ake ki te ūnga mai o te waka o Tainui ki Kāwhia, e hia nei ngā rautau, ko te nohoanga o Ngāti Toa ki ōna rohe o Kāwhia moana, i hua ake ai i raro i te mana o Te Rauparaha ko te hekenga nui o te iwi o Ngāti Toa katoa ki te kimi kāinga mō rātou ki Raukawa Moana. 

Ngāti Toa migrated to the Cook Strait area in the early 1820s and have held exclusive tangata whenua status in the Porirua area since that time. Porirua is considered the stronghold of Ngāti Toa who have maintained a continuous ancestral connection to the area since they moved from Kapiti Island following the Battle of Waiorua in 1824 to expand their coastal settlements around Cook Strait, including the shores of Te Awarua o Porirua.

I ngā tau tōmua o ngā 1820 ko te hekenga mai o Ngāti Toa ki Raukawa Moana, mai rā anō kua noho tangata whenua mai ki Porirua. Ko Porirua he pā, he kāinga nō Ngāti Toa, kua mau roa nei tōna mana tuku iho ki tēnei rohe mai anō i te wā i neke mai ai i te motu o Kāpiti i muri mai i te riri o Waiorua i te tau 1824, ki te whakawhānui atu i ngā kāinga takutai huri noa i Raukawa Moana, tae atu hoki ki ngā ākau o Te Awarua-o-Porirua.

For the past two decades Ngāti Toa has been on a journey to reconcile our breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi with the Crown. In February 2009 Ngāti Toa Rangatira counter signed a letter of agreement with the Crown providing the basis for the full and final settlement package.

Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira is the mandated iwi authority for Ngāti Toa Rangatira and is the administrative body of iwi estates and assets. The Rūnanga deals with the political and public issues of national interest such as Treaty of Waitangi claims, commercial and customary fisheries, health services including primary mental health and residential care services, local government relationships and resource and environmental management.

I te takanga o ngā rua tekau tau, kua rapua nei e Ngāti Toa ki te whakatau me te Karauna i ngā maukino a te Tiriti o Waitangi. I te Huitanguru, i te tau 2009, ka waitohua tuaruatia tētahi reta whakaaetanga e ngā Rangatira o Ngāti Toa me te Karauna, ka takoto hei whāriki mō te kaupapa whakataunga whakamutunga. Ko te Rūnanga o Ngāti Toa te mana whakahaere mō Ngāti Toa Rangatira, ā, ko ia anō hoki te kaiwhakahaere i ōna rawa me ōna pānga whenua o te iwi. Ka mahi Te Rūnanga i ngā take tōrangapū me ngā take tūmatawhānui e whai pānga ana ki te motu whānui, pēnei me ngā kerēme mō te Tiriti o Waitangi, te whakahaere rawa hao ika me ngā tikanga hao ika a te Māori, ngā ratonga hauora hui tahi atu ki te oranga matua o te hinengaro, me ngā ratonga manaaki kainoho, ngā whanaungatanga ki ngā mana ā-rohe me ngā whakahaere rawa me te taiao.

Our vision is that the mauri (life force) of Te Awarua-o-Porirua is restored and its waters are healthy, so that all those who live in the region, including Ngāti Toa and our manuhiri (visitors), can enjoy, live and play in our environment and future generations are sustained, physically and culturally. We wish for our people to be able to harvest food from, swim in and enjoy the waters of Te Awarua-o-Porirua, and we wish for the fish, birds, insects and plants of this ancient ecosystem to thrive once again. The mana and mauri of all of our waterways and associated ecosystems within the Ngāti Toa Porirua rohe must be returned to a state of health, enabling our iwi to carry out its cultural responsibilities and obligations to its people, manuhiri and future generations. These aspirations are grounded in our responsibility as mana whenua of this region.

Ko te whāinga ia kia whakamāui ake i te mauri o Te Awarua-o-Porirua, kia wai māori mai hoki ōna wai, hei mea e toitū ai te ora o te taiao ā-nuku, ā-rangi mā ngā uri whakaheke, Ngāti Toa mai, manuhiri mai, kia noho ora ai, harikoa ai, rēhia tonu ai. Ko te wawata ia kia taea tonu ngā mahinga kai, te kaukau me te hākinakina i ngā wai o Te Awarua-o-Porirua, me te whakangākau hoki kia tino ora mai anō ngā ika, ngā manu, te aitanga-a-pepeke, ngā tipu nō tēnei mataora tawhito. Me hoki anō te mana, te mauri me te ora ki ngā arawai, ki ngā pūnaha rauropi whai pānga kei roto i ngā rohe o Ngāti Toa ki Porirua, mā konei e āhei ai te iwi ki te whakahaere i ōna tikanga ahurea me ōna whakaritenga ki tōna iwi, ki te manuhiri me ngā uri whakaheke. Kua tū maunga mai ēnei tūmanakotanga i te matatikanga hei mana whenua ki tēnei rohe.

We will measure our success in achieving this vision through our people. When our people are physically and spiritually well and culturally thriving, we will know that the mauri of our environment has been restored.

Mā te pikinga anō o te ora o te tinana me te wairua o te iwi, me te tū rangatira mai anō o te iwi, mā te hoki anō o te ora o te mauri ki te taiao, mā reira e kitea ai kei te eke panuku, kei te eke tangaroa.

A key future focus in working with Greater Wellington Regional council, is a partnership model that honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Ngāti Toa Claims Settlement Act 2014 and a recognition of our relationships with our environment as kaitiaki and mana whenua. Key outcomes through such a partnership include the delivery of mātauranga Māori in the work of Greater Wellington; appropriate resourcing to allow for a sustainable pathway to co-design and co-lead on areas of shared interests including Te Awarua-o-Porirua, now and into the future.

Ko tētahi mahi aronga nui kei te taka mai ko te tū ngātahi me te Pane Matua Taiao ki te whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi, i te Ngāti Toa Rangatira Claims Settlement Act 2014, ki te whakaae me te whakamihi ki te whanaungatanga kua noho a Ngāti Toa hei kaitiaki, hei mana whenua hoki ki te taiao. Ka kitea ko ngā hua nui ka puta mai i tēnei tū ngātahitanga ko te tukunga i te mātauranga Māori ki ngā mahi a te Pane Matua; ko te whakahāngai tika o ngā rawa kia āhei ai te toitūtanga o te mahinga tahitanga ki te whakarite tahi me te ārahi tahi i ngā aronga tōpū, tae atu hoki ki Te Awarua-o-Porirua, atu i tēnei rā, ā, haere ake nei.

Read a section of the Proposed Natural Resources Plan.

Visit Ngāti Toa's website.

Note: that at the time this document went to print, Ngā Hapū o Ōtaki had not put forward their one page due to time restraints. The information provided is existing information that Greater Wellington has on file. We look forward to continuing to develop a relationship where the aspirations of this iwi can be realised.

Ngā Hapū o Ōtaki is one of the six mana whenua for the Wellington Region. Their marae are Katihiku marae, Tainui Marae and Raukawa marae located in Ōtaki and their representative entity is Ngā Hapū o Ōtaki.

In 2016, Greater Wellington and Ngā Hapū o Ōtaki signed an Integrated Catchment Management Agreement (ICMA). The Agreement referred to the development of an overarching Strategy to inform the approach to developing a partnership model and work programme.

This Strategy was developed following a strategic planning workshop on 21 March 2017 with partner representatives, and aims to  provide high level guidance on:

• Our reasons for direction in establishing an integrated catchment management framework
• Our approach to delivering on the strategy
• Our long term outcomes
• Our priority areas for the next 10 years.

The implementation of the Strategy will continue to be facilitated through the joint development of the business and other plans by the partner organisation.

Note: that at the time this document went to print, Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai had not put forward their one page due to time restraints. The information provided is existing information that Greater Wellington has on file. We look forward to continuing to develop a  relationship where the aspirations of this iwi can be realised.

Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai is one of the six mana whenua for the Wellington Region. Their marae is Whakarongotai marae located in Waikanae and their representative entity is Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai Charitable Trust.

Further information on Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai can be found in their Kaitiakitanga Plan, or by contacting the office of Te Ātiawa Ki Whakarongotai Charitable Trust at admin@teatiawakikapiti.co.nz.

Visit Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai's website.