Paniora go back to source of their Spanish roots

A group of Maori has travelled more than 19,000km to find their roots - in Spain.

About 16,000 members of Paniora (Spanish Maori) can trace their lineage to one man - born in the small Spanish town of Valverde del Majano in Segovia province.

"The first thing I've done was to kiss the soil of our ancestor," said John Manuel, one of the leaders of a Paniora group that flew to Spain this month.

He refers to Manuel Jos de Frutos Huerta, born in 1811 and who emigrated to New Zealand in 1835.

Mr Manuel, who is from Rangitukia on the East Cape, said he had mixed feelings about his adventure. "I'm happy because some of us were able to come, but I feel sad for those who weren't able because they have already passed away."

The word "Valverde" is not strange to Mr Manuel, it was written at the entrance of a relative's house. Now he knows it's something more than a name.

Frutos Huerta worked as a whaler in New Zealand and married five women of Ngati Porou, starting its Paniora lineage with nine sons, 41 grandsons and almost 300 great grandsons.

Devi Ann Hall was another Paniora to visit the Castilian town. "We immediately felt the wairua (spirit) of the family and the presence of Manuel Jos," she said. "You could feel his spirit, a happy one, happy because we are here."

Ms Hall said people had to know their genealogy before "putting a stake in the ground".

Frutos Huerta had two siblings and Santiago Ayuso, a descendent of the pioneer's sister, was excited about meeting his "distant cousins". "Their spiritual strength and belief is contagious, now I care a lot more about the genealogy of the family," he said.

The Paniora of Ngati Porou knew of their Spanish roots but weren't aware their common European ancestor came from Valverde del Majano until 2006. Since then, both arms of the Huerta Frutos family have been in contact.

In 2007, a small group of Maori travelled to Valverde and, in 2010, a Spanish delegation went to Gisborne and the two towns became sister cities.