He uri whakaheke te iwi o Muaūpoko nō te tipuna a Tara. He maha ngā wāhi o te takiwā he mea taunaha ki tōna ingoa. Ko te wāhi rongonui rawa o ēnei, ko Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Ko te ingoa tūturu o ngā uri o Tara, ko Ngāi Tara. Heoi, nō ngā rā tata nei ka karangahia rātou, ko Muaūpoko, he tohu ki te mea, ko rātou te iwi e noho ana ki te ūpoko o te ika a Māui; koinei tētahi o ngā ingoa e mōhiotia nei a Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
Ko te pūtake o te ingoa o Muaūpoko, ko te kupu ‘mua’ me te kupu ‘ūpoko’. E whakamārama ana te ingoa i te āhua o te motu nei (North Island). E ai ki te kōrero, nā Māui tana ika i hī ake ki runga. Ko te ūpoko o te ika, ko te rohe o Te Whanganui-a-Tara, te rohe e noho nei te iwi o Muaūpoko.
Ko Whātonga te rangatira o te waka a Kurahaupō i tōna ūnga ki Te Māhia. He tohunga whakatere waka ia, ā, he mokopuna ia nā Toitehuatahi, te kaumoana rongonui puta noa i Te Moananui-a-Kiwa. Ko Nukutaurua ki roto o Te Māhia te wāhi i nōhia tuatahitia e te iwi.
I a ia i Te Matau-a-Māui ka moe a Whātonga i a Hotuwaipara, ka whānau mai he tama, ko Tara tōna ingoa. I hoatu tērā ingoa mōna i te weronga o te matimati o tōna whāea ki te tara o te ika i mua tonu i tana whānautanga mai.
He wairua karore tō Whātonga; ā, ko tana haerenga tērā ki roto o Te Moana-a-Raukawa. Nō konei kitea tuatahi e ia a Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Kātahi ia ka haere mā te tai hauāuru, kia tae ki te awa o Manawatū. I tōna taenga atu ki Aokauere, ka tūtaki, ka moe ia i tana wahine tuarua, i a Reretua, kia puta ki waho, ko Tautoki; nā Tautoki ko tana tamaiti, ko Tānenui-ā-rangi (rangona anō ko Rangitāne), te tipuna taketake o Rangitāne. He iwi noho tuawhenua a Rangitāne, i noho ki ngā pito o te āpiti o Manawatū.
Nāwai rā, ka hoki a Whātonga ki Te Matau-a-Māui, ka whakawhirinaki atu anō a Whātonga ki a Hotuwaipara rāua ko Tara. Kātahi rātou ka ahu ki te tonga kia tae ki Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Ko te moutere o Matiu (Somes Island) tō rātou nōhanga tuatahi ki tērā rohe. Nō muri, ka hūnuku rātou ki te moutere nui rawa atu o te whanga, ki a Motukairangi (ko Miramar Peninsula ināianei).
He uri anō hoki a Tara nō te kaihōpara nui, nō Kupe. I āna torotoronga, i tae a Kupe ki Te Whanganui-a-Tara, ka taunahatia e ia te tokomaha o ōna takiwā.
Nā Tara, ko Whakanui, ko Wakanui rānei; ā nāna ko tana tama ko Tūria. Ka moe a Tūria i a Hinematua, ka puta ko tā rāua tama, ko Te Ao Haeretahi. Ka moe a Te Ao Haeretahi i a Rakaimāori kia puta ki waho ko Tūteremoana. Ā, tōna wā ka tū a Tūteremoana hei ariki mō Ngāi Tara. Ko tōna ingoa tapaina iho ai ki ngā toka o te tātahi ki te taha raki o te pūaha o Whanganui, ki te matatihi o te moutere o Kapiti, tae atu hoki ki ngā toka hī ika ki te taha tonga o te ākau o Barretts ki Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
E karapotia ana te rohe o Ngāi Tara e te pae maunga o Tararua ki te rāwhiti, e Te Moana-tāpokopoko-a-Tāwhaki ki te uru, e Rimurapa (Sinclair Head) ki te tonga, e te awa o Rangitīkei ki te raki. I te rau tau 1600, ka nuku ētahi o ōna hapū ki te rohe o Tōtaranui (Queen Charlotte Sounds) noho ai.
Kia taka ki te tau 1800, e noho tahi ana a Ngāi Tara me iwi kē atu ki ōna whenua ki roto o Te Whanganui-a-Tara – a Ngāti Apa, a Rangitāne, a Ngāti Kahungunu, a Ngāti Hāmua, a Ngāti Ira. nō konei raupatutia ētahi o ngā pito whenua o Ngāi Tara; ko ētahi whenua i nōhia ngātahitia me ētahi atu huānga iwi, pēnei i a Ngāti Māmoe, he iwi whakaheke anō i a Toi. Ahakoa rā, i pupuri a Muaūpoko ki te nuinga o ōna whenua.
Atu i 1819, ka tīmata ngā whakaekenga o ngā iwi o te tai tokerau ki roto o te tonga ki te apo rawa. Nō te tau 1822, ka tae atu te heke nui o Ngāti Toa rātou ko Te Āti Awa, ko Ngāti Mutunga, ko Ngāti Tama ki te takutai o Kapiti.
I te tuatahi, i pōhiritia e Muaūpoko a Ngāti Toa. Heoi, nō te patunga o tētahi wahine nō Muaūpoko, ka tū te riri. Ko te utu, ko te patunga o te whānau o Te Rauparaha i Papaitonga. Nō konei, ka kino rawa atu te mauāhara o Ngāti Toa ki a Muaūpoko. Ā, nō te taunga o te mana o Ngāti Toa ki ngā rohe o Te Whanganui-a-Tara, o Kapiti, kua whāiti te noho a Muaūpoko ki Horowhenua me Manawatū.
He taonga rongonui te aroha ki te tangata.
He rangatira a Rongo nō Ngāi Tara. Ko tōna hiahia, kia whakamutu te riri ki te iwi o Rangitāne. Ka whakatika ia i tana kokoti whakamoe, ka noho ia, tāna kotahi i runga i te huarahi tērā ka puta mai te hoariri. Ka whakatakotoria e Rongo he peka mānuka ki mua i te kaingārahu o te hoariri, he tohu kia puta mai ana toa. Whai muri, ka puta ko ngā pononga me ngā kete mātaitai. Nō te kitenga atu o te rangatira o te hoariri i tēnei, ka nanao ia ki te mānuka. Ka houhia te rongo mutunga kore ki waenganui i ngā iwi e rua nei. Mai i tērā wā, kua noho haumi a Ngāi Tara rāua ko Rangitāne, kua tū hoki te kupu ‘rongo’ hei tohu mō te māriretanga.
I te tau 1839, ka tīmata te Kamupene o Niu Tīreni (New Zealand Company) ki te hoko whenua ki Te Whanganui-a-Tara mai i ngā rangatira o ngā iwi o reira. Kīhai tētahi āpiha kotahi i kōrero ki a Muaūpoko mō ēnei hokonga whenua, ā, kīhai hoki a Muaūpoko i whiwhi i tētahi wāhanga o ngā whenua i rāhuitia ki te Māori. He pērā anō mō ngā whenua ki Kapiti, i hokona e iwi kē, kāore he kōrero ki a Muaūpoko. Ka tū ngā mahi nei hei kaupapa nui i ngā kerēme o Muaūpoko ki Te Rōpu Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
I te tekau tau atu i 1860, ka taka a Muaūpoko ki roto i ngā pakanga whenua, i raro i tō rātou rangatira i a Te Keepa Te Rangihiwinui (ki te Pākehā, ko Meiha Kemp). Ki tā Te Keepa, he kaupapa tēnei e taea ai e te iwi te ranaki i ōna mate o mua. Kia tau ngā puehu o ngā pakanga, ka whai utu ia mā Te Kōti Whenua Māori, e hoki mai ai ētahi o ngā whenua o Muaūpoko ki Horowhenua. Ko ētahi o ngā whenua nei i hokona i te tekau tau atu i 1880 mō te rerewē, hei kāinga hoki mō ngā tāngata whai. He nui ngā tautohetohe i roto i te iwi mō te mana o ēnei whenua; ka kawea ēnei tautohetohe ki ngā kōti, kia noho ki reira mō tētahi wā roa; ka tae rā anō ki te whare paremata, ki reira kōrerohia ai, ā, i te tau 1896, ka whakatūria he Kōmihana Roera hei whakawā i te take nei. He aha te aha, ka riro tonu ngā whenua o Muaūpoko hei utu i ngā whakanekeneke nei. Ko ētahi whenua i riro hei utu i ngā whakahaere o te Kōmihana.
Ko te utu mō ngā mahi a te rōia a Te Keepa, ko te roto o Papaitonga ki Horowhenua.
Pērā i ētahi atu iwi i ngā rau tau 1800 me 1900, he pānga kino o ngā murunga whenua, ngā mahi ahuwhenua me te noho Pākehā ki te iwi o Muaūpoko. Heoi, i tēnei wā kei te whakatikatikahia ētahi o ngā hapanga ā-ture i pā ki te iwi.
I te tau 2004, e tū ana te tari whakahaere o te iwi ki Taitoko (Levin) ki roto o Horowhenua. Ko Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Te Wairarapa, te taha tonga o Te Matau-a-Māui, te rohe o Taranaki ētahi atu wāhi kei reira te mātotoru o te iwi e noho ana. Ahakoa kei reira ngā taunaki e kī ana, tērā te wā e 27 kē ngā hapū o te iwi o Muaūpoko, e 6 noa iho ngā hapū e kaha tonu ana i tēnei wā - arā ko Ngāi Te Ao rātou ko Ngāti Hine, ko Ngāti Pāriri, ko Ngāti Tamarangi, ko Ngāti Whanokirangi, ko Punahau.
Ko Waipunahau (Lake Horowhenua) tonu tētahi o ngā wāhi karapinepine ai te iwi. Kei a Muaūpoko te mana o te roto, ā, e anga atu ōna marae e rua ki te wai. Tērā te wā e kikī ana a Waipunahau i te kai – i te tuna, te īnanga, te koura, te pātiki, te kākahi tae atu ki ngā manu tātahi me te kererū. Heoi, ka kino te roto me ōna tahataha, nā te tapahitanga o te ngahere, te whakamarokenga o ngā repo, tae atu ki te tukutanga o ngā para ahuwhenua ki te roto. Atu i te tau 1996, mā te Lake Horowhenua Trust, ka whai wāhi a Muaūpoko ki te whakatikatika i te āhua o te roto. Koinei tētahi o ngā tūmahi whakaora taiao nui rawa o Aotearoa. Ko te whāinga, ko te whakaora anō i ngā ika me te wai o te roto. Kua tīmata anō te whakatō tipu ki ngā tahataha o te wai.
Ko te Manatū ā-iwi o Muaūpoko (Muaūpoko Tribal Authority) te kaiwhakarato i ngā mahi hauora, toko i te ora ki te iwi, ki te hapori whānui tonu. Ka whakanui a Muaūpoko i te rā o Waitangi, mā ngā whakataetae kapa haka, pā whutupaoro hoki. He wā tēnei e whakakotahi mai ai ngā hapū o Muaūpoko ki te whakanui i tō rātou tuakiri. Ko te whāinga nui, ko te whāngai i ngā taonga a ngā tīpuna ki ngā whakatupuranga, kia kore ai aua taonga e ngaro mō ake tonu atu. Ko te wawata, kia whakatūria ētahi whare wānanga hei ako i ngā tikanga, te kawa, ngā kōrero tuku iho hoki a te iwi o Muaūpoko.
I ngā tatauranga o Aotearoa mai i te tau 1991 ka pātaihia ngā tāngata Māori nō tēhea iwi rātou.
Kei raro ko ngā nama e whakaatu ana tokohia ngā tāngata nō Muaūpoko (e whai pānga ana rānei ki ētahi atu iwi hoki). Kei raro anō whakaatuhia ai ngā iwi o ngā rohe nunui i te tatauranga o te tau 2013.
Anderson, Robyn, and Keith Pickens. Wellington District, Port Nicholson, Hutt Valley, Porirua, Rangitikei, and Manawatu. Waitangi Tribunal Rangahaua Whanui Series. Wellington: Waitangi Tribunal, 1996.
Ballara, Angela. Iwi: the dynamics of Māori tribal organisation from c. 1769 to c. 1945. Wellington: Victoria University Press, 1998.
Ballara, Angela. ‘Te Whanganui-a-Tara: phases of Maori occupation of Wellington Harbour c. 1800–1840.’ In The making of Wellington, 1800–1914, edited by David Hamer and Roberta Nicholls, 9–34. Wellington: Victoria University Press, 1990.
‘Case study 3: Waipunahau (Lake Horowhenua): restoring the mauri.’ In Managing waterways on farms: a guide to sustainable water and riparian management in rural New Zealand. Wellington: Ministry for the Environment, 2001.
McEwen, J. M. Rangitane: a tribal history. Auckland: Heinemann Reed, 1990.