E takoto mai ana te roto o Waipunahau ki te pokapū o te rohe o Muaūpoko e tū tata ana ki Taitoko (Levin); kei konei anō tētahi pūtere taiao nui whakaharahara. Nā ngā mahi pāmu i whakakino i te wai o te roto; heoi, ināianei kei te mahi tahi a Muaūpoko me ōna hoa ki te whakapai i te roto, ki te whakaara ake anō hoki i ngā ika tūturu. He tauira tēnei o te nui o ngā mahi kei te tutuki e Muaūpoko ki te whakapai ake i o rātou rauemi me te whakatairanga anō i te mana ā-iwi ki te rohe.
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 whutupōro 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.
In the 1991, 2001 and 2006 New Zealand censuses, residents of Māori descent were asked to indicate the tribe to which they were affiliated. The figures below show the number who indicated Muaūpoko (including those who indicated more than one tribe), and the regions where they were found in the greatest numbers.
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.
Kei te pae tukutuku nei ngā pārongo e pā ana ki ngā hapū, ki te Horowhenua Lake Trust, ki te manatū o te iwi.