Te Runanga o Ngati Porou

N A T I

I N S I D EI N S I D EI N S I D EI N S I D EI N S I D EChief executive officer’s report .............. 2Changing of the Guards ........................... 3Waitoa Brothers Launch CD..................... 4Iwi Up With Technology ........................... 5Inter-Marae Sports Day ......................... 6-7

The Porourangi Maori Cultural School . 8-9Waka Ama Victories ............................... 10Te Waiu Girls Blitz Exams ...................... 11Forest Deal ............................................ 12

Report from the chairman Apirana Mahuika

Continued on page 6

LINKFebruary 2001

E te iwi, tena tatau e pakia nei e te ringa kahao aitua, mai i tetahi topito o te rohe, a, tae atuhoki ki era o tatau i hinga i waho o te rohe oNgati Porou. I tera wiki i haere au me takuwhanau ki Waikato i te hingatanga o to matuatuakana o Nepia Mahuika.Kei te pouri ia kare a ia i hoki mai ki te wakaenga takoto ai me nga matua-tipuna. Ekore e mutu te mihi o te ngakau mo nga hungao te wa kaenga i tae iho ki te tangi ki a Nepia,a, kei te mihi hoki ki nga hoia i tae iho ki teporoporoaki ki tenei o ratau kua tokia nei e te

Cousins converged at Ruatoria recently armedwith sunhats, sunscreen and sunnies to com-pete for their marae in the annual Ngati Poroufestival of sports.Te Aowera Marae reign supreme as the new2001 Ngati Porou Inter-Marae Sports Day cham-pions.Te Ariuru Marae from Tokomaru Bay andPuketawai from Tolaga Bay took out the overallsecond and third place prizes.Te Aowera Marae chairperson Boy Keelan saysthe three thousand dollars won at the sportsday will be used to build new ablution blocks forTe Aowera Marae.He says, the prize money will contribute to thebuilding of the new showers and toilets, how-ever further fundraising will have to be done toraise the $100,000 needed to see the projectcompleted.“The marae was resurrected only a few yearsago. The new wharekai is built and we’re alittle closer now to securing a new wharepaku.That’s good news for the marae.”Te Aowera people came from as far north asAuckland and as far south as Invercargill to rep-resent their marae.More than 1000 competitors and supportersflocked to Ngata Memorial College to enjoy thehot sunny weather and yearly feast of sportingand whanau comradeship.Fourteen marae from Potikirua to Te Toka aTaiau (Gisborne) took up the call to challenge

with competitor ages ranging from under five toover 70-years-old.Ngati Porou Sports Events co-ordinator SelwynParata describes the day as a positive venturefor all Ngati Porou.“It’s a great day to get together and celebratewho we are … Ngati Porou.”The days events included, tennis, swimming,volleyball, touch, line dancing, team relay sprints,trivial pursuits, a team parade and fun walk.Te Runanga o Ngati Porou chief executive of-ficer Amohaere Houkamau says the fun walksummed up the spirit of the day as the event

included all participants from the oldest to theyoungest.“While we try not to put the emphasis on com-peting we know that a lot of us are competitiveby nature and that’s okay - if the competitionelement is being channeled in a positive way.And that just doesn’t mean winning. It meansbeing inclusive, having fun, playing hard but alsoplaying fair.”She encourages marae teams to startrecruiting and to have their teams registeredfor the sports day festival by mid-December.

Continued on page 2

ISSUE 16

mate tarawhare. Na reira Nepia haere; kamau tonu iho koe i to tatau koka i a AuntyMateroa e tuku whakaheke atu ana ki ngarori ki te po. E te koka Aunty Materoa (Taare) e te morehuo te ao pohatu, haere. Haere atu ki o hoanoho tahi, mahi tahi i nga ra kei muri. Keikona ratau hei whakamanuhiri i a koe inawhakaeke atu koe ki nga marae kaenga onga iwi kei tua o te arai. Mahau tonu e arahiatu o karangatanga e haere tahi atu i to taha.Kua tae koe kia Uncle Na, me o tama e

whanga mai ra mohou. Haere e te koka,e te karangatanga maha ki te huinga o teKahurangi, ki o mana, ki o tapu me o wehi.Ka mahui mokemoke nga hurihanga keiroto o Waiapu i to haerenga, a, ka ngarohoki koe i waenganui i a matau katoa. Nareira e te morehu, e te koka tipuna, Haere!Haere! Haere! E hika ma, waiho iho eneikupu poroporaki he roimata mo era atu otatau kua mene atu ki te po.

Sizzling Sports Day a Summer Sensation

Winning team for the Ngati Porou Inter-Marae Sports Day Competition, Te Aowera Marae

Te Runanga o Ngati Porou NATI LINK February 2001

Report from the chief executive officerAmohaere Houkamau

page two

Report from the chairman (continued from page 1)Apirana Mahuika

This month will see the con-clusion of all requirementsconcerning the vesting ofall of Mt Hikurangi back toNgati Porou. Once this hasbeen completed work onthe official access way tothe Mountain over Pakihiroawill take place. A meetingwill be held this month bring-ing together all the NgatiPorou Treaty Claimantsagainst the injustices im-posed by the Crown on our people post1840. The aim of this hui is to co-ordinateall the claims, without usurping the mana ofthe respective claimants and their claims,but rather to work collectively to advanceeach claim and in the process, unite all theclaims and claimants. The advantage ofthis approach is two fold:

1 Funding will be more accessible by hav-ing a united approach, whilst assistingclaims that need help

2 Averts disputes within courts or beforethe Tribunal or Crown in that differenceswill have a better chance of being resolvedat home rather than in public.

Part of the aim is perchance to put togethera Ngati Porou Claims Group whose role is

to do the work to advancethe claims, while the re-spective claimants retaintheir mana to their claim. Ihope that at this hui wewould be able to come upwith a comprehensive planfor consultation with NgatiPorou about the claims, as itis imperative that all are in-formed of the nature of theclaims and in this way, wewill all have ownership of

these claims.Further information will be provided asprogress and details emerge. This is veryimportant for all of us and your support isimportant to these claims.Currently, we have a dispute with theCrown and the Gisborne District Councilregarding the agreed sale of the ManutahiForest by the Crown and the Council. Thedeal was in my opinion done behind closeddoors because since 1998 to the time ofthe agreed sale in the year 2001, therehas never been any consultation by ei-ther the Crown or Council with the formerowners of the land on their descendantslet alone with Ngati Porou. The Crownand Council invoked Section 50 of the Pub-lic Works Act 1981, which effectively de-nies transfer of the forest to any other,but Council, as well as preventing us from

These self same actions by previous andsuccessive governments have deprivedour people of our rights, lands and tikangaand such actions have brought about iwiclaims against grievances and wrongscaused by Central and Local Governmentson Maori.Our lawyers are currently working on thismatter and further information will be pro-vided as we progress our opposition.

We have lost the services of Rei Kohereto the Historic Places Trust in Wellington.Rei was a tower of strength in respect ofour Treaty Claims and to our NgatiPoroutanga in general. We wish him well,and we must be hopeful that as opportu-nities open up at home here, he will returnto pick up the mantle he has temporarilyset aside.Josie Tangaere is now the new Managerof Te Whare Wananga o Ngati Porou andalready her management skills are emerg-ing and I am more than optimistic that shecan promote and elevate the WhareWananga status as a creditable educa-tion provider and institution for Ngati Porou.

In conclusion, I am sure that you will findthis series of Nati Link interesting and in-formative.

Ma te Atua tatau katoa e arataki.

injuncting the transfer to Council.

Kia Ora koutou nga uri whakatipu a HikurangiMaunga a Waiapu Awa aNgati Porou nui tonu. Otira hetangi aroha ki nga whanaukei raro i te kapua o te pouri itenei wa kaore ha ki ngamorehu pakeke ki a MateroaTaare ki a Nepia Mahuika kitoku hoa aroha ki a AgnesMcGhee, koutou katoa kuawhitu atu ki tua o te arai.Haere, Haere, Haere, haereki te mana, ki te ihi, ki te wehie poapoa mai na i te ao o tewahangutanga o te tangata.Haruru ana hoki te hingangao nga kaihautu o taku waka. Auahi ana, takuraru eE nga Matua, e nga Tipuna, nga tuakana,nga taina, nga tungane, me a tatou tamarikimokopuna, ko tahi tonu te hiringa i kake ai aTane ki Tikitikiorangi ko te hiringa i te mahara.Greetings to you all as we go to print on ourfirst Nati Link for 2001. It is with sadnessand regret that we acknowledge and payrespect to those who have passed on andwho contributed so much to Ngati Porou intheir own special ways. When we bid fare-

well to Nanny Materoa Taare and PapaNepia Mahuika we gavethanks for their rich and fulllives, 101 and 87 respec-tively. However, when webid farewell to AgnesMcGhee we rued the factthat one so young and withso much to give has beentaken so soon.This edition of Nati Link is acelebration of their lives anda reminder to us that time isof the essence and there isstill much more work to do.Reflecting back on the first

two months of this year, it appears thatwe have been thrust right back into themidst of things without even a chance tocatch our breaths.Those gathered for the Dawn Ceremonyon Hikurangi Maunga January 1-weretreated to a stunning sunrise and bore wit-ness to the dedication of one of our young-est tribal members within the ‘cathedral-like’ setting of Te Takapau o Maui.The Inter-Marae sports festival was a dis-play of marae unity, physical prowess and

matauranga Ngati Porou that was enjoyedby the 1500 Nati that turned up onJanuary 3.Matauranga Ngati Porou is one of the flag-ships in the revitalized educational devel-opments that are happening at home aspart of Whaia-te-iti Kahurangi.Some of the topical initiatives that are in-cluded in our education strategy are thedevelopment of a Ngati Porou curriculumand a feasibility study into the establish-ment of a Ngati Porou education entity.As we know from the deeds of our TipunaTane, the ‘power of the mind’ is what en-abled him to reach Tikitikiorangi. We allhave incredible potential and capacity thatneeds to be tapped and harnessed.We have every capability of building ourown capacity - if we can unleash ‘ThePower of our Minds’ and focus it on a col-lective vision.Our tamariki are showing us that they havebegun to unleash the ‘power of their minds’(pg 11) the challenge to us is whether wecan aspire to the same level. My guess isthat in 2001 there will be many opportuni-ties for all of us, to raise our standard ofperformance and level of consciousness.

Te Runanga o Ngati Porou NATI LINK February 2001

Changing of the Guard

page three

Te Runanga o Ngati Porou has in the past six months farewelled four of its senior managers. Josie Tangaere, Arnold Reedy,Huhana Tuhaka and Rei Kohere, have dedicated more than 20 years of service (between them) to Ngati Porou and theRunanga. Josie is the new manager for Te Wananga o Ngati Porou at Ruatoria; Rei has taken up employment at Wellingtonwith the NZ Historic Places Trust. Huhana intends spending a year as a private consultant while Arnold is working for anAuckland based accountancy firm. TRONP chief Executive officer Amohaere Houkamau describes the ex-employees of theRunanga as hard working, committed and determined staff members who will be sorely missed.

“They have been poupou for the Runanga and have also contributed to thedevelopment and aspirations of their own whanau, hapu and marae.”

Arnold Reedy resigned last year as the Eco-nomic Development Manager. He has spentthree years as an employee of the Runanga.Arnold describes his years with the Runangaas being some of the best years he has had.“It was fun but certainly very challenging also.”Arnold who’s main hapu are Te Aitanga aMate, Whanau a Rakairoa and Te Whanaua Tuwhakairiora says he enjoyed the joband the time spent with his work colleagues.“To the trustees and everyone working atthe Runanga … Kia Kaha,” he says.

Huhana Tuhaka left her position this month asthe Personnel/Administrations Manager.Huhana has previously worked for fouryears as the Iwi Social Services co-ordinatorand prior to that was employed by theRunanga for a number of one-off projects.In 1996 she managed the social services

Rei Kohere of Te Whanau a Rerewa,Te Whanau a Huanaara me wetahihapu o Ngati Porou was the managerof Treaty Claims and also the HealthPolicy co-ordinator for the Runanga.His six years with the Runanga hasinvolved the co-ordination of researchfor the Ngati Porou Wai 272 and Wai262 Treaty claims and advocatingwith Crown represetatives in theHealth Sector for more meaningfulpurchaser/co-purchaser relation-ships between Iwi and the Crown.Rei also worked directly with hapu onspecific Treaty Claims. Two suceesfulclaims he was involved with were the

contracting process between theRunanga and the NZ CommunityFunding Agency. She also managedthe programmes and services pro-vided to whanau by the Runanga staffand by hapu.When the co-ordination of social ser-vices was centralised to Ruatoria lastyear, Huhana who lives in Gisbornewas temporarily employed to man-age Runanga Personnel and Admin-istration.Huhana who is of Te Whanau aTakimoana, Ngai Tane, NgatiHorowai and Te Aitanga a Matedescent leaves the Runanga to takeup contract work.

Josie Tangaere formerly the CorporateService Manager resigned from her in-terim position as CEO executive assis-tant.Josie who is of Whanau a Rakairoa,Te Aowera and Te Aitanga a Mate de-scent and Kahungungu on her moth-ers side, covered a wide range of rolesin the administration area during thesix years that she worked with theRunanga.She was also instrumental in the es-tablishment of the East Coast SaferCommunities Councils.Her first role within the Runanga wasto manage the transferal of TeParekereke and Te Korowai Aroha –Tairawhiti to the Runanga Social Ser-vices.Josie says her position with Te WhareWananga o Ngati Porou has alreadybrought about some brand new learn-ing curves.“Its another challenge but on the samebasis as working with and for NgatiPorou”.

return of Kakepo and the Te Puia Worksdepot.He enjoyed a good working relation-ship with Gisborne District Council staffon a number of resource managementissues including the Waiapu Landfill.Rei says he has enjoyed the close re-lationships he has built up over theyears with hapu and Runanga staff.

Coastal Groove Brings Eruera Home

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Te Runanga o Ngati Porou NATI LINK February 2001

Radio Ngati Porou will soon be blasting the newest sounds, with Ken Eruera in the hot seat.Mr Eruera has recently tuned in to his job as the new manager for Radio Ngati Porou.Of Ngati Porou and Whanau a Apanui descent, Mr Eruera intends injecting into Te Reo Irirangio Ngati Porou some of the ingredients, which turned Radio AtiAwa from a tin shed into Wellington’smost popular radio station for the end of the 2000-year.He says it was tough but also exciting challenging the mainstream Wellington radio stations andcoming out on top. “We were brown and in town.”Successful Ngati Porou radio announcers, Rangi Coleman, Ron Tamanui, Keith Niwa andPaula Rangi began their careers with Mr Eruera at Wellington.Training and up-skilling Ngati Porou people in the arena of radio presentation is a job he is mostlooking forward too.“Acquiring skills from Radio Ngati Porou could eventually lead to huge opportunities … televisionpresenter jobs …overseas work … who knows the sky’s the limit.”He admits there will be differences between managing the now city slick Radio AtiAwa and thecoastal airwaves of Radio Ngati Porou but, he says, its all about finding the right balance.Radio Ngati Porou is based at Ruatoria. It is currently in its thirteenth year of broadcast.Mr Eruera says the RNP staff is a hard working and committed team that has carried on with itsduties without a manager for eight months.“I have to take my hat off to them. They just carried on … doing an excellent job.”

Ken Eruera is rapt to be home and islooking forward to re-settling in the landhe grew up in.

Kia Mau te Putea he Awhi - education grantss

A celebration of Ngati Porou waiata can be heardon the recently released compact disk TakuManawa.Waitoa brothers Kahu (photo right) and Rawirilaunched their original compilation of Maoriwaiata at Radio Ngati Porou this month.“Taku Manawa” features six original songs com-posed by Kahu and their grandfather HenareWaitoa.Tomo Mai was written by Mr Waitoa senior butwas re-released with different kupu by Sir HowardMorrison.Mr Waitoa wrote Tomo Mai in 1946 to welcomehome the soldiers of the 28th Maori Battalion asrequested by Sir Apirana Ngata.“Our grandfathers words has more meaning thanthe popularised version,” says Kahu.Radio Ngati Porou manager Ken Eruera believesfans will have to move fast to scoop up the CD asonly 30 have been manufactured.

“I think their grandfather would be proud. Iknow their whanau are,” he says.The new CD was produced on a shoestringbudget with the aid of Radio Ngati Porou.The nationally recognised song TakuManawa was composed by Kahu and trans-lated by his mother Waipaina in 1991.It was with this popular original waiata that thelocally run Manu Waiata Tu Competition waswon at Ruatoria in 1993.The Waitoa brothers have no plans to pro-duce any other recordings in the near future.They believe its time for a rest. Although, Kahuwould like to continue writing songs - but forother voices“There are so many good singers out therewith beautiful voices … it’s time to bring for-ward our youth.”Kahu describes the Ngati Porou sound assweet and cruisey.

Waitoa Brothers Release Original Waiata

Education and training grants are once againbeing offered by Te Runanga o Ngati Porou.This will be the seventh year that the Runangahas utillised some of its profits from fisheriesand farming to support Ngati Porou education.To date the Runanga has paid out about$282,100 worth of grants to 1372 Ngati Poroustudents of which 75 percent are Ngati Porouliving away from home.A total of $61,000 is available this year. Appli-cants must be of Ngati Porou descent and reg-istered with Te Runanga o Ngati Porou, al-though they can register when they make theirapplication.They must be attending either a University, Poly-technic, Whare Wananga or a Private Train-ing Establishment.Grants available in 2001 are for tertiary studies

only. Priority will be given to students in theirfinal year of study for diplomas, undergraduateand postgraduate degrees.Subjects favoured by the Runanga for grantassistance include management, iwi/hapumanagement, accounting, commerce, eco-nomic development and resource develop-ment, science and technology, information sys-tems, marine biology, the humanities – law,social services, the arts, Te Reo and farming.Ngati Porou requires more graduates and prac-titioners in these disciplines.Copies of application forms are available fromthe Gisborne and Ruatoria offices of TeRunanga o Ngati Porou.Applications must be filled out correctly andreturned by March 31. Ph Kerry (06) 867 9960

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Te Runanga o Ngati Porou NATI LINK February 2001

Aue te aroha ki a ratou o te kainga kua wheturangihia arako Materoa Taare, Nepia Mahuika, Topsy Ratahi, AgnesMcGhee, Pae Green. Me tangi hoki ki a ratou o tenarohe, o tena rohe, o tena rohe, pera i a Te KotahitangaMahuta, i a Bill Solomon hoki.This year has got off to a sad start with the tangi of ourkaumatua, of Ngati Porou and of other iwi.Maoridom is faced with many challenges nowdays, lead-ership being one of them. The loss of our kaumatuareduces our connection with the past. The loss of ouryoung people reduces our contribution to the future.In saying that I am looking forward to the work. 2001 isgoing to be an important year for Maori.The Labour Alliance government is committed to ensur-ing Maori people can contribute equally to New Zealandsociety. It is our responsibility to ensure our agenciesuse resources effectively to inform and empower Maoricommunities so they can lead their own development.Maori communities know their issues and their solu-tions.Community groups have started to receive funding tobuild their own capacity. Te Puni Kokiri will allocate $9million specifically on Capacity Building nationwide. Theprojects range from establishing new governance struc-tures through to wananga on reo and tikanga, from feasi-bility studies for small businesses to sports projects.Improving education, business development, employ-ment, housing, social services and health of Maori havealways been priorities for me.This year I also want to target some other specific issuesincluding Treaty of Waitangi settlements, Fisheries,Broadcasting and Maori language.There is lots of good work going on at the grassroots. Isee it when I come home and I see it when I travel thecountry.I want to make sure the good work gets supported by theagencies that I am responsible for, like the work of theTairawhiti Taskforce. It’s hard work here in Parliamentbut I‘m pleased to see change is beginning to occur. Wejust have to keep on at it for the benefit of our people.

Kia kaha tatou katoa.

Ngatiporoutanga Knowledge How good are you?

1. What are two Ngati Porou names that East Cape Island is knownby?

2. Name three wharenui in Ngati Porou that are not named after anancestor?

3. Who is the eldest son of Porourangi and on which marae doesthe wharenui that has his name stand?

4. Name two houses in Ngati Porou that are memorials to soldiersof World Wars 1 & 2?

5. Name the great birds of Ruakapanga6. Where would you find the land mark known as Pohautea?7. Who was the Captain of the Horouta Waka?8. What are the names of the two farms owned by Ngati Porou?9. Where is Akuaku and what hapu/whanau would you associate

with Akuaku?10. Who are the two Poutokomanawa in Porourangi whare at

Waiomatatini?

Good news for cyber surfing Nati. The new high tech Ngati Porou web sitewill be on-line in March.Web site designer Jimmy Hill says the website will include all the relevantinformation of the old website but in a more attractive package.The old website can still be accessed and is currently registeringbetween 8000 and 12,000 hits fortnightly.Tourism co-ordinator Kerry Johnston who is responsible for the oversee-ing of the production of both the old and new website expects this figure toincrease by a “kazillion” once the newer model is up and running.Not to give away too many secrets, but the home page includes arevolving globe of over 100 graphic images, some of which were seenduring the Millennium celebrations.Audio sound is also being installed.“The website is more user friendly, attractive and informative – but best ofall its all about home.”

To check out this flash new media - hook up at

www.ngatiporou.iwi.nz

Minister of Maori Affairs ReportParekura Horomia

Ko Hikurangite maungaKo Waiapute awaKo Ngati Poroute iwi.

Tihei Mauri Ora

Iwi Website Near Completion

Answers on page 6

Nati Link On SaleNati Link On SaleNati Link On SaleNati Link On SaleNati Link On SaleNati Link subscriptions have increased for the 2001-year.The cost has risen from $14 for a one-year subscription and $28 for a two-year subscription to $30 and $60 respectively.The rise in price has occurred to cover the cost of production and printing.The Nati Link issues (from now on) will be printed in full colour and al-though the effect is a far more attractive one the cost of full colour isn’tcheap.

Nati Link SubscriptionsPlease send a Nati Link subscription to

Name: ........................

Address: ......................

.............................

Please make all cheques payable to:Te runanga o Ngati Porou, Ruatoria

6 issuesfor $30.00

12 issuesfor $60.00

Ngati Porou Inter-Marae Sports Day

page six

Te Runanga o Ngati Porou NATI LINK February 2001

The 2002 Ngati Porou Inter-Marae Sports Day isscheduled for January 2 and will be held once againat Ngata Memorial College.Other Marae teams who competed this year wereRakai Hoea, Whareponga, Kariaka, Hiruharama, TeHoro, Hinemaurea ki Wharekahika, Waiparapara,Awatere, Mangahanea, Reporua – Tu Auau andTairawhiti - Hinepare.The sports day event would not have been the suc-cess it was without the support of sponsors The LionsFoundation, The Ruatoria Hotel, Wrightsons Ltd, NgatiPorou East Coast Rugby, Ngati Porou Whanui For-ests, Gardiner and Parata Ltd, Highfield Technolo-gies Ltd, Whaia Te Iti Kahurangi, Hikurangi Food Mar-ket, The Gisborne Hotel, Gary Bates, Ngati Porou Fes-tival Organising Committee 2000, Westpac Bank,Sport Eastland and The Gisborne Herald.Special thanks must also go to Hikurangi Sports Club,Ngata Memorial College, Ngati Porou Touch Asso-ciation and Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Te Waiu oNgati Porou.Finally to all participating Marae, tena tatou nga mihinui ki a koutou.

1. Te Motu o KaiawaWhangaokena

2. Matahi o te Tau HoroeraTu Auau ReporuaMangarua WaiorongomaiTairawhiti RangitukiaWhitireira WhangaraNgati Porou KariakaTe Rawheoro UawaTe Poho o Te Tikanga Waiparapara

3. HauTe KiekieWaipiro Bay

4. Nga Tama Toa HiruharamaTe Hokowhitu WhangaraUepohatu RuatoriaSt Mary’s Church Tikitiki

5. TiungarangiHarongarangi

6. Tikapa or southern side of the mouth of theWaiapu river

7. Paoa8. Pakihiroa and Puanga9. Northern side of Waipiro Bay

Whanau a Rakairoa / Te Haemata10. Hamo Te Rangi – the wife of Porourangi

Rongomaianiwaniwa – their daughter

Continued from page 1

Answers to quiz

Photo copy the picture above, draw in where you think the ball is and go into thedraw to win a “Sports Bag”. Send entrees to Te Runanga O Ngati Porou, Ruatoriaand Gisborne Offices before April 20. Don’t forget to put your contact details on the backof the envelope.

Kanewa Stokes reassures her daughter Atawhai during the inter-maraeswimming competition. Five-year-old Atawhai representing Rakai-HoeaMarae was one of the youngest competitors of the sports day. Kanewa saysshe entered the team to give the tamariki an opportunity to particapate.Rakai-Hoea Marae were first time entrants at this annual whanau gatheringas was Mangahanea and Puketawai.

Whanau Fun Day Can you guess where the ball is?

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Te Runanga o Ngati Porou NATI LINK February 2001

Highlights and Snapshots

Te Runanga o Ngati Porou NATI LINK February 2001

page eight

This is a continuation of the fourth lecturedelivered by Sir Apirana Ngata at thePorourangi School of Maori Culture.

It was then among a mixed people of predomi-nantly Toi extraction that Poroumata and hisWhaene lived. They were first cousins, as you willsee by reference to the tables, thus:TawakeurungaHinekehuRakaimoehauWhaenePoroumataThey were, as Mohi Turei said, wellborn and verydistinguished members of the rapidly extendingPorourangi family. Whaene was of Ngati Hinekehuand a chieftainess of Te Wahineiti and it has beensaid, that she and her husband lived in theWhareponga district and amongst Ngati Ruanukuby virtue of this status and relationship. Others haveasserted, that the right to occupy came toPoroumata, the husband, from his fatherTangihaere. However derived they were recog-nized as their chiefs by Ngati Ruanuku o TeWahineiti.Their family was a large one, six sons, accordingto the account of Mohi Turei and three daugh-ters. The sons wereTaratakamoanaTarapaoaTarauerereaoTararereTaraongaongaTararatu

And the daughters wereMateroa Tawhipare Te Ataakura

Haukotore, a brother of Poroumata, also livedamong Ngati Ruanui on the north side of theWhareponga stream. The pa of Haukotore wasMATAKUKAI. He was the father of Rangitukua,who was famous in his time as an expert in theuse of weapons of warfare and in the art of war.We may now refer to the account of Mohi Turei ofthe death of Poroumata and his sons, supplement-ing it where necessary from other versions of anoft-told:-

“When the tribe prepared food, they brought forPoroumata game, fish, and all other kinds of food.When the tribe made a catch of fish, the atten-dants of the pa of Poroumata went to the landingplaces to fetch the fish day by day; for some timeall went well with the fetching, then trouble arose.It had come to be the habit for them to take the fishthemselves from the thwart, the fish that were leftthey cut off the tails, the belly-fat, and heads of thehapuka (which were the choice part of that fish).His sons had been taking part in this business; forhimself, he knew nothing of it; he cherished onlykindly feelings for the tribe”.From another account we are told, that the sonsof Poroumata did not wait for the fishermen toallot them fish, but ceased the same with con-

temptuous disregard of the men, who hadlaboured to make the catches. Worse than that,while the Ngati Ruanuku men were fishing thesupercilious sons of Poroumata raped theirwomen. So Poroumata bore among those sub-servient to him a reputation for tyranny and hissons an evil name for oppression and licentious-ness.So the tribe laid a plot to slay Poroumata. Part oftheir plan was to build a wharau for Poroumataand his sons, Ponga; being the material; hencethe name Whareponga. When the wharau wasfinished it was decided to go out to catch fish forthe feast to celebrate the occasion. This was afeature of the plot that Poroumata and his sonsmight be inspired to go out to sea to fish, MohiTurei now takes, on the tale: -“One night Poroumata looked at the clouds be-yond the crayfish beds, resting close and com-pact, at the Milky Way and the Magella Clouds, atthe flakes of mish running together and settling inmasses on the mountains. He said, “It will besettled calm tomorrow, the wind will be a lightsea-breeze making gentle ripples on the water; Ishall put out to sea”. In the morning he embarkedin one of the canoes and reached the fishingground. A number of canoes made up the fishingfleet. While he was occupied with baiting hishooks, the men in the bow exchanged knowingglances with those in the stern, and those in thestern with those in the bow. All the men in thecanoes exchanged similar glances it was theindication that he was to be slain. They slew himand he died. They tore out his entrails and vitals,and threw them into the sea, and they were castashore. The place where they were cast ashorecame to be called Tawekatanga-o-te-ngakau-o-Poroumata (the place where the vitals ofPoroumata hung entangled). The fishing groundwas called KAMOKAMO (knowing glances).Those names still remain”.Supplementing the account of Mohi Turei fromother sources, it is emphasized, that the‘kamokamo’ or knowing glances exchanged bythe crews of the Ngati Ruanuku fleet were to bethe signal for the slaying not only of Poroumatabut also of his sons, who were in another canoe.Poroumata was the first to be killed. Then thesons in their canoe, warned by his fate, fled fromthe fishing ground kamokamo, which was offOhineakai, north of Waipiro.

Plying their paddles furiously they sped to the land-ing place, but abreast of Mataahu Point they wereintercepted by some of the Ngati Ruanuku ca-noes. It was then that a voice was heard calling tothe eldest of the brothers, “Tara! Where is yourway out now?” and Tara replied in words thathave passed into a proverb “Tena ra nga ara oTara e maha!” “Oh, Tara has many ways by whichhe may go”. With one sweep of the paddles theylifted their canoes on to a wave, making straightfor the shore through the breakers. And that onewave bore them ashore. But Ngati Ruanuku hadparalleled the manouvre and landed at the same

time as the brothers. Not one of the fugitivessurvived the slaughter.Thus died Poroumata and his sons, payinga penalty that tyrants and oppressors in morerenowned lands among the great nations ofmankind had paid in all ages.There remained of his breed one son,Tahamoana (probably the Taratakamoanaof the Mohi Turei version) whose name islittle known among Ngati Porou, and whosedescendants are practically confined to theWhareponga district. But the three daugh-ters, Materoa, Tawhipare and Te Ataakurarank amongst the most outstanding mem-bers of the Porourangi line, who gave birth toits greatest chiefs and most celebrated war-riors. Their story will occupy many chaptersin this course. The sole male survivorTahamoana, was living with his uncleHaukotore at Matakukai and thus escapedthe fate of his father and brothers. Haukotoremourned his brother in his pa. He could donothing among the multitudes of NgatiRuanuku and Te Wahineiti. He had given nooffence, being apparently a man of a retiringdisposition. But his status amongst NgatiRuanuku was still that of a chief and after hisbrother’s death he laid a tapu on the sea offthe coast, where the tragedy had taken place,so that for a period neither the people norhimself should fish. Of him it is said that whenhe went fishing he went by himself to fishinggrounds well out to sea. Hana Maraea, grand-mother of Mrs Materoa Reedy and HamueraNgarimu, has placed on record a saying rel-evant to the Haukotore penchant for solitaryfishing out of sight of land, ‘Haere ki te kaingai a Haukotere tutua!’

But we have been carried away by the storyof Poroumata to anticipate a discussion ofour third whakapapa table, and must nowreturn to the second table to deal with theother descendants.A hapu called Ngati Hinekehu was evolvedfrom the marriage of Naia and Tihaere, andof Tangihiamatatau and Waipipi, a daughterof Uepohatu. The name did not rest uponthe descendants of Tamataonui andWhaene, who became merged with clansthat had or adopted other names, such asTe Whanau o Kahu, Te Aitanga a Mahaki,Te Aitanga a Mate and others.Rongomaipapango, a younger brother ofPoroumata married Haupapanui, daughterof his first cousin Naia. A son Rangitarewa isfamous in Ngati Porou history as the lover ofMateroa, to whom she bore a child,Tamaihu. From two other children ofHaupapanui and Rongomaipapa the NgatiHinekehu hapu is derived. By a number ofintermarriages with descendants ofUepohatu, Ngati Hinekehu became veryclosely connected with the Uepohatu branchof the Toi peoples, which we shall deal with

The Porourangi Maori Cultural School

Te Runanga o Ngati Porou NATI LINK February 2001

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in detail in a special lecture. Meantime it canbe said, that Ngati Hinekehu occupied the coun-try south of Tuparoa from Tohoratea Creek toKaimoho, lands to the south west of Ruatoria(formerly known as Manutahi) Mangaharei,Taumata-o-Mihi, and Waitangi on both sides inthe Tapuwaeroa valley.You will be supplied with tables showing theramifications of Ngati Hinekehu.

Referring to table paged 5 we have in the com-ments on table paged 3 already dealt with threeof the children of Rakaimoehau andTangihaereroa, namely Poroumata and his twobrothers Haukotore and Rongomaipapango. Inthe Ngamoe case heard by the Native LandCourt in 1886 there was a sharp difference be-tween the elders, who claimed that land. Oneside asserted that TANGIHAERE was the origi-nal owner of this and adjoining lands and thathis family was bred there on. The other side,whose chief witnesses were Eruera Kawhia andHana Maraea, was as positive that Tangihaerelived at Uawa and that his children were bornthere. It is clear however from the statements ofelders on both sides that members of theHinekehu and Tangihaere families occupiedat Uawa for some part of their lives and atWhareponga and the adjoining country for somepart. Some indeed such as Haukotore,Rongomaipapanga, Poroumata and othersseem to have spent most of their lives amongstNgati Ruanuku and Wahineiti. The Court dis-missed the dispute on this point by saying, that itwas sufficient for its purposes to find ‘that in thefifth generation from Porourangi the tribe or asection there of known as Ngai Tangihaere wasin occupation of Ngamoe and that Poroumatamana and ownership of the land passed en-tirely into the hands of Ngati Ruanuku, with whomTe Wahineiti was associated and that NgaiTangihaere who remained on the land did soon sufferance. It required drastic action on thepart of the descendants of Poroumata andHaukotore a generation or two later to wrest themana from Ngati Ruanuku and Te Wahineiti.We complete consideration of the table paged5 by directing attention to the eldest child ofTangihaere and Rakaimoehau, an elder sisterof Poroumata named HINEMAKAHO. She wastaken to wife by Mahaki, one of the sons of Iranui,sister of Kahungunu, and Hingangaroa.

There is no question that she lived at Uawa untilher husband and his people were driven out byhis younger brother Hauiti. Her descendantsbecame incorporated with and supplied thechiefs and leaders for a section of Te Wahineiti,which occupied part of the Waiapu Valley.Hinemakaho ranks as high as Hinekehu as anancestress of Ngati Porou. The story of the for-tunes of her family is part of the history of thedescendants of Manutangirua, which as de-ferred from our first lecture and will be taken upin the next and succeeding lectures.

Until we have formally introduced the twobranches of the Toi family, which were associ-ated with the middle and northern portions ofwhat is now Waiapu County and the whole ofMatakaoa County we cannot enter into a dis-cussion of the three younger members of theHinekehu family, Tangihiatakaputotara,Tangihiamatatu and Tawakepitokura. Theproper place for that is when we deal with NgatiUepohatu, who were in prior occupation andwith leading members of whom they intermar-ried.I end this lecture by directing your attention toan outstanding fact of East Coast history, thatthe greatest events in its long course occurredat places on or close to the seashore. Thereare some of you attending this course, who rec-ollect the slow coming of the inland road, whichis our main highway, and how up to the firstdecade of this century the main land commu-nications followed the coast line. It is true thatsections of our people lived along the valleysand streams, but the large villages and maraewere on the coast, Whangara, Puatai, Uawa,Anaura, Waipare, Tangoiro, Tuatini, Te Ariuru,Waipiro, Akuaku, Whareponga, Waitotoki,Tuparoa, Reporua, Tikapa, and so on round toWharekahika. Except Waipaoa andTuranganui in the south and Uawa there wereno large navigable rivers along which impor-tant marae could function.lf

Waiapu and its tributaries, Maraehara, Awatereand Wharekahika could not be said to be wa-terways, such as Whakatane (in the lowerreaches). Rangitaiki or Kaituna, which serveda large Maori population in ancient days andon which the canoe was necessary to theeconomy of the tribes occupying their banks.But the Waiapu river in its lower reaches madeup for its steep, broken and sometimes violentcourse by the great extent of cultivable land onboth banks backed by terraces suitable for pasites. Hence the great development of the popu-lation there, which drew from Tamokai of theinland Aowera tribe the cry, “Hoake taua kiWaiapu ki tatara e maru ana”, “Let us go toWaiapu, where the rain cape is thick.”You can still picture the scene, where the trag-edy of Poroumata and his sons was enacted. Agood approach to it today is to ride fromTuparoa up the Tohoratea creek, where a fewchains up the stream on the right hand side isthe site of Poutiriao Pa. Some say that this wasthe pa of Tawakepitokura, the youngest child ofHinekehu; others that it was the pa ofRangitarewa where he seduced his cousinMateroa and to which he brought their love childTamaihu from Turanga. Emerging from theTohoratea valley you reach Paepaenui, wherethe track winds down to the confined valley ofWhareponga. If you could replace the forest,that formerly bedecked the hills and slopes be-fore and on either side of you, the scene musthave been grand and grim. To your left stands

The Porourangi Maori Cultural Schoolthe limestone rock cone of Otuauri, whose for-est mantle was ruthlessly uncovered by thesheepman’s axe less than forty years ago. Toyour left is the bare ridge on which stood thegreat Ngati Ruanuku pass, Tongaanu,Ureparaheka, Ruawhakapapa, Haerearongo.The ridge was probably always bare, but it stoodin the midst of land rich in food resources andfrom its enemies all movements for milesaround and far out to sea could be seen andwatched.

You stand near the scene of the great battle ofTe Hikutawatawa, where Tuwhakairiora, thewarrior grandson of Poroumata, fulfilled the des-tiny, to which as he stirred in her womb hismother Te Ataakura dedicated him, to avengethe death of her father at the hands of NgatiRuanuku.

In the distance and immediately facing you isthe mountain mass on which stood some of thegreatest pa of Ngati Ruanuku and Te Wahineiti,Kokai facing you, Tokatoa on a spur to the south-west and numerous smaller pa on the slopesfacing the sea above Mataahu, Waiorongomaiand Waipaua. Kokai remained a formidable hillfortress down to the days, when the Nga Puhi ofthe north came raiding with the newly acquiredfirearms of the Pakeha.

But we anticipate too much in our coastal jour-ney and must be content with this reminder, thatto understand the Maori history of this coast youmust see for yourselves and reconstruct the en-vironment and scenes in which its leadingevents were enacted. You must rub out fromyour eyes and minds the highways and roads,which have come on to the tribal maps, lestthey affect the perspective of the native history.One more feature you should bear constantlyin mind in unraveling the tangled skein of Maorihistory. It is the great importance of the sea-going canoe, and the compulsion almost in theconfiguration of the country and the manner ofits occupation to use the canoe and the sea forjourneys and movement. Our main range,Raukumara runs parallel to the sea, but alongthe seaboard, secondary hill ranges run at rightangles to the sea with steep narrow valleys be-tween, except where Waiapu and its main tribu-tary, Te Mata, have scoured wide terraced ba-sins in their age-old endeavour to keep levelwith the ocean. The turbulent sub-tribes of NgatiPorou have occupied these parallel costal val-leys, a sub-tribe to each Valley with the inevi-table hill forts at vantage points. These wereformidable obstructions in the path of unwel-come travellers, who found the seaways lessrisky. The canoe therefore figured prominentlyin the culture of the East Coast peoples, whofound suitable Totara in the forest, which clothedevery valley, and applied to the constructionand adornment of the vessels a unique masteryof building and carving.

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If you think you’ve got it bad...Have a read of this...

E nga iwi o te motu, tena koutou katoaSome of you might be interested in the following analysis that shedsa light on our socio-economic position in the scheme of thngs.

If you could shrink the world’s population into a village of precisely100 people with all the existing human ratios remaining the same itwould look something like the following.There would be 57 Asians21 European14 from the Western Hemisphere both North and South8 Africans52 would be female48 would be male70 would be non-white30 would be white.70 would be non-Christian30 would be Christian89 would be heterosexual11 would be homosexualEight people would possess 58% of the entire world’s wealth and alleight would be from the United States80 would live in substandard housing70 would be unable to read50 would suffer from malnutritionOne would be near death – 1 would be near birthOne (yes only one) would have a college educationOne would own a computerWhen one considers our world from such a compressedperspective, the need for acceptance, understanding and educationbecomes glaringly apparent.The following is also some thing to ponder …If you woke up this morning with more health than illness … you aremore blessed than the million who will not survive this week.If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the lonelinessof imprisonment, the agony of torture or the pangs of starvation …you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roofoverhead and a place to sleep … you are richer than 75% of thisworld.If you have money in the bank, in your wallet and spare change ina dish someplace … you are among the top 5% of the worldswealthy.If your parents are still alive and still married … you are very rare.If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over twobillion people in the world that cannot read at all.

Sourced from e-mail

Waka Ama Rangatahi Teams Represent the RegionRangatahi from the Gisborne and Coast based Waka Ama clubs’proved their weight in gold, silver and bronze at the annual WakaAma Competition at Lake Karapiro last month.A treasure trove of medals was brought home from the regatta.Between the five clubs of Tuwhakairiora, Te Roto o Hine Takawhiti,Tuatini, Mareikura and Horouta, 46 medals were won.Tuwhakairiora secured - one gold, three silver and four bronze, TeRoto o Hine Takawhiti – two gold, Tuatini – one silver and sixbronze, Mareikura - 21 gold, 10 silver and nine bronze and Horouta- eight gold, eight silver and 13 bronze.Te Urunga o te Ra Regional Waka Ama president Maggie Green-ing says there is an outstanding number of rangatahi representingtheir clubs.“This area has the largest numbers of rangatahi representationand the whanau of the Tuwhakairiora Club was the second larg-est team competing at the nationals overall.”Although the Te Tairawhiti rangatahi took out most of the medals,

they lost the Raukura Moana Trophy for the highest medal count, to an Aucklandbased club.“We won it last year and chances are excellent that we will win it again next year… we were pipped at the post this year though,” she says.The Lake Karapiro regatta was a first time ever event for many of the youngcompetitors.However, five-year-olds were as keen to paddle, as their older friends and rivals.Horouta Waka Ama Club spokesperson Kapua Waikari says the three-day eventwas an “awesome” display of rangatahi talent.“This was the first time the club’s tamariki had competed at the waka amanationals and we are really pleased with their performance,” Te Roto o HineTakawhiti team manager Dean Kawhia saysRunanga Chairman Api Mahuika who has been attending the waka amanational’s for the last few years says he is pleased with the increase in numberof Ngati Porou teams participating.“I would however like to see them all join together to do support haka and waiatafor all the teams from our rohi during the presentation ceremonies.

Rebekah-Te Arani and Nicholas Te Puni (pictured above) found in their Kaitigarden this month the biggest cucumber they had ever seen in their lives.Nine-year-old Rebekah was pretty sure their homegrown cucumber was ofGuinness Book proportions while seven-year-old Nick just wanted the 50cmmonster to make a multitude of cucumber sandwiches.The children say their father Hepa is the gardener in the whanau while mumSue waters the veges.The children also grow their own sunflower and kamokamo plantswhich they tend in their home garden and at their nanny Margaret’s.

Colossal Cucumber Intrigues Kaiti Kids

Whakapakari Te Reo akeo Ngati Porou

Te Wananga o RongomaianiwaniwaVenue: Rahui Marae, Tikitiki Date: Friday April 6 (5pm start)until Sunday April 8 (ends 9am)

also throughout the yearTe Wananga o Matariki, Te Reo o

Ngati Porou Wananga, Te Wananga o Hamoterangi, Te Wananga o Te

Takapau o Maui (dates, venues to be confirmed)

Nau Mai, Haere Mai – catered for all Te Reo levels

contact – Te Runanga o Ngati Porou

page eleven

Te Runanga o Ngati Porou NATI LINK February 2001

Te Tamaiti o Te Waiu ki a ekeina aTikitiki o rangi kia tomohia a Rangiateakia mau ki te wananga o te ao Maori ote ao whanui koia nei te taumatawhakahirahira o tona ake ao.

Vision statement for Te KuraKaupapa Maori o te Waiu o NgatiPorou

Top junior Te Waiu o Ngati Porou KuraKaupapa scholars Tawhiri DaltonReedy, Ruth Heeney and AwhinaHoukamau Fleming have excelled inNew Zealand’s senior secondary schoolexams.Tawhiri (13) while still in form threegained the highest mark in the countrylast year for the external Sixth FormCertificate in Maori with an outstanding88 out of 100 mark.Keriana Kawhia a former Te Waiu stu-dent now attending St Josephs(Hastings) has got the second highestmark in the country.Tawhiri also passed her School Certifi-cate in maths and science.Of Ngati Porou and Ngapuhi descentTawhiri has set her goals on becominga doctor.She attributes her success to the nan-nies that look after them at Te Waiu andthe whanaungatanga of the kurakaupapa.“Before every exam we have a karakiato settle our nerves.”Hardwork and extra hours of study alsoensure top marks can be attained, shesays.Her academic fourth form year for 2001will involve School Certificate maths toimprove on her previous years mark,

Third former Tawhiri Dalton Reedy has the countries top external sixth form certificate for Maori while school mates Ruth Heeney and Awhina HoukamauFleming (14) hold A bursaries.

Student Achievements Testimony to Strengthened Educationin Ngati Porou East Coast Schools

chemistry, biology and English, with Bur-sary Maori.Fourth formers Ruth (14) and Awhina(14) have gained their School Certificatein Maths and Science (with marks in themid seventies) plus an A Bursary inMaori.Ruth who has set her sights on a careeras a computer technician will be study-ing School Certificate physics, chemis-try, art, english, with sixth form comput-ers and maths this year. Awhina will bestudying physics, chemistry, biology, artand English for School Certificate withmaths and computers for Sixth FormCertificate.Awhina says that all the extra after schooltuition in maths and science helped thestudents as well as the support from theteachers who had to drive the pupilshome after their 3pm-5pm classes be-cause the school buses (home) hadbeen missed.“All the extra mileage eventually paid offthough”. says Awhina.The girls believe science is one of thetoughest topics because new Englishand Maori words have to be learnt.The fluent speaking Maori pupils wroteall their exams in Te Reo even thoughthe maths and science exams were inEnglish.“We were freaked out when we went intothe maths exam because we were toldit was in Maori but when we got into theexam room we found the paper was inEnglish,” said the girls.Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Te Waiu act-ing principal Phillip Heeney says that thehigh levels of attainment are testimonyto the hard work of both students, staffand whanau.

“We do everything we can to ensure thatthe students have a better than even chanceof success in whatever they choose to do.”Te Waiu o Ngati Porou Board of Trusteeschairman Selwyn Parata says this achieve-ment of excellence is not only about the in-dividual success of the students but the suc-cess of Kura Kaupapa.“There are a lot of misconceptions aboutKura Kaupapa. People think that our kidsare somehow missing out because theyare taught all subjects in Maori.“People do not understand that while thepromotion and proliferation of Te Reo Akeo Ngati Porou is at the core of our KuraKaupapa so is supporting our childrento unleash the power of their minds andto celebrate o tatou Ngati Poroutanga.”The other dimension that makes thisNgati Porou story of education a uniqueone is that Te Waiu was providing theirthree fourth formers and two third form-ers with a secondary school curriculumeven though they were not being fundedto do so.Te Waiu has only recently received offi-cial Whare Kura status (secondaryschool component of Kura Kaupapa),which means they are now eligible toreceive funding from the Ministry of Edu-cation for the Whare Kura.“For the past two years Te Waiu has carriedthe secondary school component becauseof their commitment to a seamless education.What is happening in our schools and otherNgati Porou schools is a testament to Whaiate iti Kahurangi and the principle of selfdetermination for Ngati Porou education,”Mr Parata says.

“Whaia te iti Kahurangi ki te tuohu koe me he maunga teitei”

Crown - Council Deal Cuts Out Ngati Porou

Te Runanga o Ngati Porou

DirectoryRegistered Office

1 Barry Avenue

PO Box 226

RUATORIA

Ph: 06 864 8121

Fax:06 864 8115

Email:Info@tronp.org.nz

Te Runanga o Ngati Porou NATI LINK February 2001

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Te Runanga o N

gati Porou/ Te Rau H

erald Print Production

At the heart of the Maori version of the Treaty of Waitangi lies the principle that Iwi/Hapu and the Crown will co-exist in apartnership of understanding for the development and progress of both parties.The Treaty was an acknowledgement therefore of Iwi/Hapu existence, of their prior occupation of the land and of anintent that Iwi/Hapu presence would remain and be respected. Although this was the intent it unfortunately has not beenthe reality over the past 161 years - but just when it seems the Treaty was being better understood …

The Gisborne District Council has beenmaking moves to purchase the ManutahiForest at Ruatoria.Te Runanga o Ngati Porou Trustchairman Api Mahuika says the originalowners and their families are appalledat the sale and purchase agreementbetween Council and the Crown and thelack of consultation with Ngati Porou andowners.The members of the Kaiwai and Awaterefamilies have voiced strong resistanceagainst the purchase as they wish toretain their mana whenua over theirinherited lands. “The original owners and their familiesmust receive the benefit of their landsespecially given the way it was takenoff them in the 1970’s.“Such a blatant disregard for our peopleand our rights must be a signal for us asNgati Porou to groom future councillorswho will represent and respect ourtangata whenua and turangawaewaerights”.Mr Mahuika says purchasingnegotiations between the Crown andCouncil was made in secret(confidential), which prevented anyinformation publicly flowing between theRunanga and Council.“A solution has to be found and this canonly happen by a meeting between theCrown, Ngati Porou and Council,” hesays.GDC chief executive Bob Elliot says thatonly the GDC could buy Manutahi Forest.

“There are a variety of ways that the Crown cantransfer a public work and section 50 of thePublic Works Act would apply.“However it is important to recognise that intransferring the ownership of the public work,where the intention is to continue with thatconservation works purpose, then it can onlytransfer to a local authority such as the Council.Runanga Treaty Claims manager Rei Koheresays in response to Bob Elliot’s comments thatthere were other options available to the Crownwhich would not have limited the transferral ofownership of the forests only to the GDC.“Obviously these options were not consideredin the introspective discussions that transpiredbetween central and local government,” MrKohere says.Gisborne District Councillor Meng Foon alsoopposes the council’s plans to purchaseManutahi Forest.He says the Crown planted trees as publicworks for the protection of the Ruatoria townshipin perpetuity and managed it at no cost to theCouncil.“Why on earth would Council want to stick theirnose into it.”He believes the money from the forestry accountwould be better spent on priority needs suchas infrastructure, debt removement and a landfillpurchase.District Councillor and TRONP Trust memberAtareta Poananga is also angry over Council’sdecision.She says some of the landowners regard theoriginal acquisition of the Manutahi Forest as aland grab and legal theft.“The owners were supposedly compensated by

the Crown and this went through the MaoriLand Court but there could still be someissues about that original compensationas well”.At the next Runanga meeting in MarchMs Poananga will be advocating that theRunanga asks Council to reverse itsdecision to purchase.Api Mahuika says that what is mostdisappointing for him apart from thecontinuation of ploys to alienate NgatiPorou from their lands, is that throughoutlast year the Runanga met with the GDCnearly every other week, to discuss theimproving of working relationships andeconomic development.“Nothing was mentioned about thesenegotiations.“This breach of trust has left usreassessing our future involvement indevelopment such as the TangataWhenua Caucus and the TairawhitiDevelopment Task Force.”The Runanga is awaiting reports andrecommendations from legal advisorsas to how to put a stop to this “debacle”.“We are also enlisting the support of thefive Ngati Porou MPs in parliamentincluding Donna Awatere-Huata who isa descendent of the original land ownersto assist the Runanga in our attempt toinjunct the sale,” says Mr Mahuika.Te Runanga o Ngati Porou lodged aTreaty claim on behalf of all Ngati Poroupeople who had their lands confiscatedby the pen and this latest move on theManutahi forest is yet another example.

Offices

195 – 199 Wainui Road

PO Box 394

GISBORNE

Porou Ariki:

Ph: 06 867 9960

Fax:06 867 5335

Email: Porou.Ariki@xtra.co.nz

… Next Issue …

Monty Soutar ................ finishes thesis

Waiapu Work Trust ...... enhancing lives

Ngata College ............. performing artists

Tamararo Festival ........ kapa haka regionals

0800 Phone Number ... Runanga free phone

Wananga Update

Competition Results

…. And Much More ….All images remain the property of Te Runanga o Ngati Porou