Te Rarawa unveils another pouwhenua

The pouwhenua at Waimahutahuta, a place of significance for more than a millennium. Photo / Rongo Bentson

Te Rarawa has unveiled a new pouwhenua at Waimahutahuta, Ahipara, described by Te Rarawa chairman Haami Piripi was a very old location, named by ancestors during the time of Kupe (950 AD).

"Places like these provide the basis for establishing mana on the land and sea, and form part of a network of nomenclature and occupation," he said.

"Their historical provenance as place names provides a window in time, tracing ancestors, their activities and events for more than a thousand years. The veracity of this chronology of history is evidenced in both written and oral historical accounts, but its verification is established through a cross-referencing of various family geneologies that have been retained for generations as sources of whānau knowledge enabling the recounting of family ancestry and histories."

The level of corroboration was remarkable, and testament to the accuracy and utility of genealogical tables, he added. Waimahutahuta was a place that had grown dim in the more contemporary view of history, but fortunately enough information had been retained within the community to revive interest and stimulate a sense of cultural pride about the area, and in particular Waimahutahuta itself.

A strict translation Waimahutahuta referred to a rapid and voluminous rise and fall of water within a restricted area of volcanic rock that had been shaped into a channel, which the incoming tide filled.

Because of its inherent ability to wash away residue, the area was once used as a site for the washing and cleaning of human bodies in preparation for funeral rites and tangihanga. It was that aspect of the sacred nature of the place that was recognised by the siting of the pouwhenua.

About 80 people, including iwi leaders, hapū representatives, local whānau affiliated to the area, and Director-General of Conservation Lou Sanson and his senior executive team, attended the dawn unveiling.

"Pouwhenua ceremonies are becoming increasingly important amongst the roles and responsibilities of kaitiaki, being the posts to which our ancestry and history can be attached. They are expressions of our identity and local understanding based upon centuries of countless deeds of our forebears," Piripi said.

Today our ability to share this pre-European paradigm with contemporary New Zealand is derived from Te Tiriti o Waitangi, enabling us to deploy a wide lens in the promulgation of historical, cultural and environmental values. As Treaty partners we offer up this opportunity to jointly pursue our common goals based on our relative interests. This is an honourable path for our future, harnessing the best of both worlds to create an even better future.

"Without this enlightened model for management we will become handicapped by a perpetual deficit in the recognition and participation of our indigeneity. The unsustainable nature of that approach has already been clearly demonstrated through the destruction, exploitation and pollution of our colonial past.

"The respect shown by our Pākehā friends attending the ceremony, including the Director-General of DOC, was a sign of good faith and a belief in a shared outcome generated by Māori. It is my sincere hope that this trend will continue to grow and find its footing among the green-fingered and conservation-minded families of our kainga.

"Looking ahead, it seems to me that our future may in fact depend on it. Kia kaha ra e hoa ma."