Te Whanake - Our Blog
An exhibition - Mai i Hawaiki - Te Ahi Ka Roa
In the 1820s some of the Kāwhia tribes of Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Koata and Ngāti Rārua saw opportunities in a migration (heke) to conquest the south. They were joined at that time by Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Mutunga, and Te Ātiawa.
Later joined by some Ngāti Raukawa of Maungatautari and northern Taranaki hapū, they moved south in successive migrations to Manawatū, Horowhenua, Kapiti Coast, Te Upoko o te Ika, and Te Tau Ihu – Top of the South.
By the mid 1830’s some of the Kāwhia and Taranaki hapū had begun to put down roots in the Te Tau Ihu districts they had helped conquer, and by 1841 mana whenua over the different districts of the Te Tau Ihu was clearly established. For Motueka this was several hapū from the Ngāti Rārua and Te Ātiawa tribes – our tūpuna (ancestors).
In few places has this kōrero been captured, so when asked to contribute and support the latest exhibition in the Motueka Provincial Museum we jumped at the chance. The Trustees were enthusiastic about the opportunity to showcase our rich history and the bond we have with the land to the wider community.
The Mai i Hawaiki - Te Ahi Kā Roa exhibition tells the story of the great migrations from Kāwhia down the west coast of the North Island and on to Te Tau Ihu. It also tells the story of our entrepreneurship in trade at the ports with whalers and Europeans. Perhaps most importantly it tells the story of our tūpuna’s loss of lands and livelihoods, and the injustices by the New Zealand Company and the Crown spanning 150 years.
Overall the exhibition showcases our tūpuna’s courage and resilience through incredibly unjust times and how we revitalised our position as mana whenua ki Motueka.
NRAIT provided a collection of images as well as stories on our tūpuna and whenua that have been captured overtime in written form. Some influential and high ranking individuals included are Te Ātiawa o te Waka-a-Maui kuia Merenako, and the son of Ngāti Rārua chief Tana Pukekohatu, Kerei Pukekohatu. You can read our kōrero on Merenako here and on Kerei Pukekohatu here on our website.
We know that many locals have little knowledge of the town’s indigenous history and what took place when Europeans arrived, so piece by piece these stories are told in books, videos, events, online articles and now an exhibition. Passing this knowledge on to the next generation is of great importance to us.
We were humbled to part of this project and to work closely with the Nelson Provincial Museum who developed the work as part of their outreach and support of affiliated museums.
Mai i Hawaiki - Te Ahi Kā Roa will be Motueka Museum’s featured exhibition through the summer until 30 June 2017. A dawn ceremony took place on 4 December with around 80 people gathering to bless Mai i Hawaiki - Te Ahi Kā Roa. You can learn more about the exhibition and opening times of the museum here.
Our place Te Uma
Ko au te whenua, Ko te whenua ko au.
I am the land and the land is me
Te Uma, our urupā (cemetery) in Motueka is more than just a place to return our whānau to the land, it’s also a place of revival, a place where a view of our Te Maatu can be taken in from all angles, it gives life to our traditional knowledge, and promotes mana whenua to the Motueka community and visitors to the region.
Since 2008 Ngāti Rārua Ātiawa ki Motueka whānau and hapū have been walking the carved paths and gardens of Te Uma and soaking up the knowledge from the whare, Whakapaetuara. But to get it to this point a lot of work went in to its development.
In fact discussions about where to develop an urupā go back as far as September 1996 where the late Robbie Park, Pat Park’s father, explained in a meeting of the Trustees that he had been looking at ‘some land on the hill’ and suggested it was an ideal location for an urupā.
The late John Morgan, also at the meeting, put forward that it was a good idea to start preparing the area while recognising that we wouldn’t need an urupā for quite some time. Good thing the kōrero started when it did because the few Motueka small urupā available could no longer be used for burials. John Morgan and Robbie Park’s son Pat are both buried at Te Uma.
Following the resource consent process and approval to use the land as an urupā, development began. ‘Old man’ gorse was cleared from the hillside and indigenous species such as kawakawa were planted. Walking tracks were formed alongside the hill and where a drainage ditch once was a pond was developed. Two bridges over the pond along with seats and carved po add further dimensions to this once sheep grazing land.
One of the most significant aspects of Te Uma is the whare, Whakapaetuara, designed and constructed by local businesses, Whakapaetuara is a place of knowledge. Inside the whare are information panels about the history of our Trust, our tūpuna, and our whenua.
Because of the emphasis of developing Te Uma as a representation of our natural environment, while demonstrating modern conversation practices, Te Uma is often a focal point for learning about our story and developing connectedness of our people with the whenua.
While being a special place to mana whenua ki Motueka, and as waahi tapu, it is also a place for the community to expand their knowledge of our people on these lands.
Te Uma Urupā has 68 plots for descendants of the original land owners when their time comes to be returned to the whenua, several of which have already been claimed. We also welcome mothers to bury their newborn’s whenua (placenta) at Te Uma.
The Trust encourage all whānau and hapū, especially those visiting from outside the rohe, to visit this sacred place, read and learn the kōrero , look out over Te Maatu, and explore the gardens.
Growing and gardening in Motueka: yesterday, today, tomorrow
The soil beneath our feet in Motueka is unique, its rich nutrients and nourishment from the Motueka River makes our whenua (land) ideal for growing food crops. Motueka has a long history and strong future of food growing and gardening and it’s something the community is proud of.
This is a brief kōrero on the yesterday, today, and tomorrow of food growing in Motueka and how it all stems from our tūpuna (ancestors).
Yesterday
Before Europeans arrived in Aotearoa in 1840 our tūpuna would work and cultivate gardens together in the fertile lands of Motueka, known to us as Te Maatu (the Big Wood). Together we owned these gardens.
It was our tradition to garden with a strong biodiversity approach where we didn’t eradicate all other species in the area. So above the gardens stood rimu, southern rata and totara, while beneath the canopy were nikau palm, mamaku treefern, fuschia and many other fruit-bearing and edible plants. Our crops co-existed with these giant trees.
These gardens produced huge volumes of potatoes, including Māori potatoes and both the early and recently introduced European varieties, along with kumara, kamokamo and other crops. These crops were taken to Nelson and traded at Auckland Point and further afield, which fed the waves of incoming European settlers.
Early map of Motueka: the shaded area represents Te Maatu, the fertile land our ancestors negotiated to keep in Maori ownership during European settlement – this did not happen.
Today
The exceptional soil fertility and the suitability of the surrounding land for small-farms were one of the main reasons that European’s settled here in 1842, but Te Maatu was quickly divided up and sold to settlers, and so our approach for the gardens to co-exist with the forest ceased to exist.
Moving forward 100 years Motueka was New Zealand’s tobacco-growing centre. However, since the government removed the requirement for locally produced cigarettes to have some New Zealand tobacco in them the crops were no longer profitable.
Apples, pear and kiwifruit orchards, and hops are what is mainly grown today. Many residents are also able to easily grow and sustain a range of fruit trees and vegetable crops in their own backyards.
Now a new annual event is coming to Motueka, the Motueka Kai Fest, which will mark and celebrate the summer harvest as well as bring all of Motueka’s gardeners together, including home-based and commercial growers and food producers.
It’s also an opportunity to make Motueka and its food better known to New Zealanders and provide education to young and old about the value and importance of producing food locally.
With the strong connection between our ancestors (the first gardeners) and today’s celebration of food, the Trust is getting right behind the Kai Fest in April 2017.
Tomorrow
Growing and gardening in Motueka will continue to be part of the community’s fabric and culture. The future of our growing and gardening here presents opportunities to find innovative ways of addressing the challenges.
With the abundance of orchards our community’s harvest season brings many people to Motueka, but out of harvesting season the numbers drop away. As well this our gardening and growing industry is at the mercy of potential new fruit specific viruses or insects, the weather, and international markets. These all could have a drastic impact on the local economy.
However, Vision Motueka’s ‘Motueka 2030’ study has shown that the community recognise the important role growing and gardening has in Motueka, and that this and other food producing industries should be valued and supported. The study suggested that this could be achieved by building on current strengths and expertise to add value, such as through education, innovation in food science, and research and development.
At the ground level there are more and more opportunities for people to learn and develop careers in horticulture, such as at the new nursery started by Tiakina Te Taiao in Motueka (level 2), the Motueka High School (up to level 2), or the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (up to level 6).
At the end of the day – growing and gardening food for our whānau, our community and our economy is here to stay in Motueka.