Ko au te Awa,
Ko te Awa ko au
Ko ahau te kaituku o te ora. E matua hono ahau ki ōku uri, inā ko māua anō māua. E kore e motuhia te taura here, ko tāku he tuku ora, ā, mā tōku iwi ahau e tautiaki. Heoti anō, I te taenga mai o te Pākehā i tuki te tirohanga ao Māori, a, i rīraparapa ai te taura here tangata me te taura here wairua.
As a giver of life and river system, I have maintained an inalienable connection to my people, and my people have shared that same connection with me. We are inseparable – I have a duty to provide sustenance for my people, and they have a responsibility to care for my health and well-being. However, the arrival of Pākehā brought an opposing worldview and actions that sought to undermine this ancestral connection.
Ka rangona ētehi taonga i tēnei wāhanga o He Awa Ora e kōrero ana mō te tukinga o tauiwi me o reria ngana ai ki te motumotu te taura here tangata me te taura here wairua. Ko te take whāwhā ture, koia te take roa o te motu ki te ture, he manawanui nō te iwi kia matara rawa te taura here tangata me te taura here wairua. Ka hua mai ko Ruruku Whakatupua, te whakaaetanga a te Karauna me tōku iwi. E hāngai ana ngā taonga kei tēnei tūtanga ki ētehi o ērā tukinga me te whakarārangi i ngā tū kaupapa whakahirahira o mua.
You will find taonga in this section of He Awa Ora that will show how this connection has been challenged and moments through time that sought to sever that connection. Noted as the longest running litigation in this country, the battle to recognise my mana and restore my people’s rights culminated in Ruruku Whakatupua, an agreement between my iwi and the Crown. Taonga in this section link to some of those attempts, and a timeline of key moments in history is also here for you.
He whakaahua o ngā kaikerēme
Ki muri (taha mauī ki te matau) | Back (left to right): Kaiwhare Kiriona, Tanginoa Tapa, Te Kiira Peina, Tonga Tume, Hōhepa Hekenui, Hēnare Keremeneta
Ki waenga | Middle: Te Rama Whanarere, Hekenui Whakarake, DBG Morison (counsel), Titi Tihu, Tonga Awhikau
Ki mua | Front: Taka-te-iwa Anderson, Kahukiwi Whakarake
Whakaahua (photograph), 1945
No identified maker
Black and white reprint on photographic paper
Tāngata tiaki: Alexander Turnbull Library
PAColl-2427-1
Ko mātou te mōrehu tangata o ngā kaikerēme matua mō te Awa o Whanganui te take, nō ngā hapū o roto mai i Whanganui. I whai wāhi mātou te toro ki te ture mō te rangatiratanga o te Awa. I whakaahuatia ki te whare pupuri taonga o te Tominiona i te tau 1945, nā te whare pukapuka o Alexandra Turnbull i hōmai.
We are the remnants of the original Whanganui River claimants, representing Whanganui hapū, who were involved in litigation regarding ownership of the Awa. This photograph of us was taken at the Dominion Museum, in 1945, and is courtesy of the Alexander Turnbull Library.
Te pakanga roa mō te Awa
Nei kore te wai, e kore te ika e kau.
(Rangitihi Tahupārae)
Without water, a fish cannot swim.
(Rangitihi Tahupārae)
E rārangi mai ana ko ngā kaupapa matua o mua, mō te manawa piharau a te iwi ki te whakamarumaru i ahau, inā ka hua mai ko te ture, koia rā tēnei ko Te Awa Tupua (Ngā Kerēme o te Awa o Whanganui) Te Ture Whakataunga 2017. E pari kārangaranga ai te ture i ngā mihi me te aroha pōuri a te Karauna ki te iwi o Whanganui i hora i te pukapuka Ruruku Whakatupua (Te Whakaaetanga Whakataunga), nā reira whakamana ai ko ngā hua o te whakataunga.
This timeline outlines key events that shaped the battle by Whanganui Iwi for my protection, culminating in the Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims) Settlement Act of 2017. The Act records the acknowledgements and the apology offered by the Crown to Whanganui Iwi in the Ruruku Whakatupua (Deed of Settlement) and gives effect to provisions that settle the Whanganui Iwi historical claims.
He wāhanga o Ruruku Whakatupua kua whakaatūria ki He Awa Ora. Tēnā, ko ōna whakawhānuitanga e pūkai ana.
Elements of Ruruku Whakatupua have been presented throughout He Awa Ora, and you can read more.
Whakarongo ki konei, ki te kaiwhakarite matua me te tiamana o mua o Te Taratī o Ngā Tangata Tiaki o Whanganui, ko Gerrard Arapata, e whākina ana ngā kōrero mō te tukanga whakataunga.
Listen to former claim negotiator and chairperson of Ngā Tāngata Tiaki o Whanganui Trust, Gerrard Albert, speak to the settlement process.
1840
My people sign Te Tiriti o Waitangi, guaranteeing their rangatiratanga (sovereignty) over their lands, homes and all tangible and intangible taonga. The Crown is responsible for kāwanatanga (government) and protecting their rights.
1880
Pā tuna are destroyed as the Government clear them from me, to enable free navigation by steamers, as well as gold and coal prospectors.
1886-
1888
Over 501 of my people petition the Government to stop steamers destroying pā tuna and utu piharau.
1895-
1896
My people take a claim to the Supreme Court over customary fishing rights. The Whanganui River Trust Board (an agency of the Crown) is established, giving control of my waters to Pākehā.
1918
The Whanganui River Trust Board seeks legal advice for the removal of gravel from me, and declares that my people must not construct new pā tuna in me.
1931-
1937
My people raise funds for the legal battle, to protect their customary rights. Te Rama Whanarere, Te Kiira Peina, Hekenui Whakarake, Titi Tihu and others lodge a petition to challenge
my ownership. Titi Tihu and Hikaia Amohia formally object to the introduction of trout by the Acclimatisation Authority.
1960
My headwaters are diverted into Lake Rotoaira, then on into Lake Taupō and the Waikato catchment for hydroelectric power generation.
1962
The Court of Appeal finds that the Coal-mines Amendment Act 1903 conveyed my riverbed to the Crown. This decision closes all legal avenues for my people to pursue ownership of my riverbed.
Nā te kaha rangahau mātou i hua i te ngāhuru tau 1990 kia tautoko i te tono ki te aroaro o te Taraipiunara o Waitangi, mō te Awa te take. He rangahau anō i oti i a mātou kia whakatakotoria ki te aroaro o te Taraipiunara, mō ngā kerēme whenua te take. Kia āta whakaarohia ki ngā kōrero whakamārama i hora, ki te pāwerawera o te iwi ki te whakatakatū i ngā kōrero tūpuna, te tō mai i ngā kupu o nehe, me te rau i
ngā maharatanga o te mōrehu tangata mō ngā tau mahamaha o mua, o muri nei anō hoki.
During the 1990s, we were researched and written up to provide evidence to the Waitangi Tribunal to support our iwi claim to the Awa. Further research regarding land claims was also completed for presentation to the Tribunal. You can imagine the knowledge, time and effort put in to preparing us, based on traditional narratives, historical accounts, living memory and future aspirations.
Pānuitia te pūrongo o te awa o Whanganui, nā te Taraipiunara o Waitangi i tā.
Read the Whanganui River Report, issued by the Waitangi Tribunal.