Aotearoa lost one of its great rangatira when Matua Whatarangi Winiata (Ngāti Raukawa) died peacefully at his Te Manuao Road home in Ōtaki on June 3 aged 92. Known simply as Whata to many in Ōtaki, he was a man whose influence reached across generations, institutions and communities, but whose... Keep Reading
A recent High Court decision granting Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga customary marine title (CMT) has confirmed that the iwi has mana whenua and mana moana on the coast. The decision grants Ngāti Raukawa CMT under the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act 2011 across the full coastal area claimed – from Kukutauaki (south of Te Horo) to... Keep Reading
Te Wānanga o Raukawa has signed a landmark agreement with the Office of the Auditor General reaffirming its status as a non-crown entity and placing its governance and accountability firmly in the hands of its founding iwi. The iwi, known as the ART Confederation, are Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai, Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, and Ngāti Toa... Keep Reading
Local kaumātua got a history lesson from one of their own when they attended a 50-year celebration of the vision that has had a big part in shaping what Ōtaki is today. At Raukawa Marae on February 23, Rupene Waaka talked about how a programe of iwi development known Whakatupuranga Rua Mano Generation 2000 (WRM) came about. Its objective... Keep Reading
Ngāti Korokī and other local hapū of Ngāti Raukawa are the most landless in the Manawatū to Porirua Waitangi Tribunal district, says distinguished kuia Gabrielle Rikihana. Gabrielle, 97, a claimant for Ngāti Korokī, says the hapū of Ōtaki have suffered exceptional land loss, especially the three central hapū: Ngāti Pare, Ngāti... Keep Reading
Neuro-diverse tamariki who don’t speak are being encouraged to play in public spaces via new communication boards. The first of a series of seven boards throughout Kāpiti Coast was unveiled at Haruātai Park in Ōtaki on November 30. On hand were representatives of Kāpiti Coast District Council and Ngā Hapū o Ōtaki, who collaborated on... Keep Reading
Ngāti Maiotaki spokesperson Arini Loader’s aspiration was simple: “We want our stuff back.” Arini was talking to the Waitangi Tribunal on the last day of the hearings at Raukawa Marae in Ōtaki from October 2-6. During the final session of the hearing, presenters outlined their aspirations on resolving the treaty grievances, based... Keep Reading
The Waitangi Tribunal was at Tukorehe Marae, Kuku, July 31 to August 4, listening to the treaty claim of Ngāti Tukorehe. At the same time, Julian Batchelor was conducting a campaign protesting co-governance and maintaining that Māori, and especially a group of “Māori elites”, have privileges they don’t deserve. He says his supporters... Keep Reading
The opening of the new expressway had the ribbon cutting with dignitaries and the media on December 21, but much earlier that day local iwi conferred their own whakawātea (blessing) on the road that cuts through their ancestral land. About 4am, Ngā Hapū o Ōtaki representatives walked the expressway from Taylors Road to the Ōtaki River... Keep Reading
The loss of land and the negative impact of colonisation have been compared to the extinction of the huia bird at a recent Waitangi Tribunal hearing in Levin. Angela Hayden (Ngāti Huia ki Poroutawhao) spoke specifically about the deep association between Ngāti Huia and “ngā manu huia”. In her evidence, Angela outlined the cultural... Keep Reading
Ngāti Raukawa – of which Ōtaki is part – is one of the most landless iwi in the country and deserves “fulsome reparation” from the Crown. That’s one of the key arguments being set out at a Waitangi Tribunal hearing that began on Monday (March 9) at Hato Pāora College in Feilding. Former High Court judge Sir... Keep Reading
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