Ka tangohia te ingoa o ngā iwi o Whanganui i te awa ka rere atu i ngā kāhui maunga kei te puku o Te Ika-a-Māui ki a Tangaroa. Mō ngā rau tau maha, kua noho he iwi ki ōna tahataha, kua hoea ōna wai e ngā tini waka, kua mahia ngā kai i ōna wai, kua tutū hoki te puehu mōna. Ka kī te iwi, ‘Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au’.
E rere kau mai te Awa nui nei
Mai te Kāhui Maunga ki Tangaroa
Ko au te Awa
Ko te Awa ko au.
He maha ngā wāhi i Aotearoa i taunahatia e Kupe. He kaumoana rongonui ia puta noa i Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa. Ka ū a Kupe ki Whanganui, ka whakaingoatia e ia taua wāhi, ko Te Kaihau-a-Kupe, nā te puhipuhi tonu o ngā hau. Kātahi ka toro whakarunga a Kupe i te awa, ki Kauarapāoa rā ano ki te kimi tāngata; tē kitea. I tapaina taua wāhi ko Kauarapāoa i te toremitanga o Arapāoa, tētahi o ana tāngata, i a ia ka whakawhiti i te awa i te wā e waipuke ana.
E kīia ana te kōrero, ahakoa ka rongo ia i te tangi o te weka, te kōkako, te pīwakawaka, kīhai rawa a Kupe i kite i te tangata. Ka heke a Kupe ki te pūaha o te awa, ka rere ki Pātea i te taha tonga o Taranaki, ki reira whakatōngia ai e ia he purapura karaka ki aua whenua parahua.
Nō tana hokinga ki Hawaiki, ka whakamārama a Kupe i ana haerenga ki tōna iwi. Nāwai, ā, ka wehe te waka o Aotea ki Aotearoa i raro i a Turi. Ka tae rātou ki Aotearoa, ka whakatauria ko Pātea hei kāinga mō rātou. E ai ki ngā kōrero tuku iho, ka hōrapa ngā uri o Turi ki te whenua, ka tūtaki atu rātou ki a Ngā Paerangi, ngā tāngata whenua o tēnei rohe. E kī ana te kōrero e ora ana te tupuna a Paerangi e rima whakapaparanga i mua i a Turi.
Kei ētahi kōrero tuku iho e kī ana i puta mai te ingoa o te iwi a Ngāti Hau, i a Haupipi. I te tukinga o tōna waka a Kurahaupō, ka hūpeke atu a ia ki runga i a Aotea. Kei ētahi atu e kī ana, he whakarāpopotonga a Hau mō Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi. I haere mai te tupuna a Haunui-a-Pāpārangi i te taha o Turi, ā, ka noho tahi ōna uri me Ngā Paerangi.
Ko Tamatea-pōkai-whenua te rangatira o te waka Tākitimu. Ka piki rā anō a ia i te awa o Whanganui hōpara ai. I mua i te tomokanga o tōna waka ki te awa, ka tonoa e Tamatea tana tūmau ki uta ki te rapu harakeke hei whiri pūtiki mōna. Ka tapaina te wāhi i kitea te harakeke, ko ‘Te Pūtiki-wharanui-a Tamatea-pōkai-whenua’. Ka haere ake a Turi kia kite i a Tamatea, ka mate kanehe, ka moe tana tamāhine a Tāneroa i a Uenga-ariki, te tuakana, teina rānei a Tamatea.
I ngā wā onamata ka noho tahi a Ruapehu rātou ko Tongariro, ko Taranaki ki te puku o Te Ika-a-Māui-tikitiki-a-Taranga. I tētahi rā ka whakamātau a Taranaki ki te kāhaki i a Pīhanga, te wahine a Tongariro. Tutū ana te puehu i tēnei mahi, ka hinga a Taranaki ka rere mā te rohe o Whanganui. I a ia ka rere ka keria e ia te riu o te awa. Ka tau a Taranaki ki tana tūranga e tū nei ia i tēnei wā.
Kātahi ka hahauhia e Tamatea tētahi waka hei piki i te awa. Ka whakarērea e ia tana tūmau ki te pūaha o te awa tatari ai. Ki ētahi, nō konei te tikanga o te ingoa, a Whanganui.
Tokotoru ngā tamariki a Tamakehu, te rangatira o Te Āti-Haunui-a-Pāpārangi rāua ko tana wahine tuatahi a Ruaka: arā, ko Hine-ngākau ki te taha whakarunga o te awa, ko Tama Ūpoko ki te pokapū o te awa, ko Tūpoho ki te taha whakararo. He rite ngā wā whakapuakina ai rātou hei whakaatu i te kotahitanga o ngā iwi. Arā atu anō ngā pepeha hei whakanui i tēnei āhuatanga, pērā i “Te taura whiri a Hine-ngākau”, he kōrero mō ngā herenga tāngata i waenganui i nga iwi, tētahi i tētahi.
Ka rere a Whanganui, mai i te puku o Te Ika-a-Māui ki tōna pūaha, e 230 km te roa o te awa ka taea e te waka. Neke atu i te 80 ngā pā me ngā kāinga e tū ana i ōna tahatika. Koinei tētahi o ngā huarahi nui mō te Māori i ōna wā. Nā tēnei āhuatanga ka whai pānga ki te awa a Ngāti Maniapoto me Ngāti Raukawa o Tainui, a Ngāti Kahungunu o Tākitimu, a Ngāti Tūwharetoa o Te Arawa.
I ngā tau tōmua o te rau tau 1800, ka rongo ngā iwi o Wanganui i te pakū o ngā pū a ngā taua mau pū o te raki, pēnei i a Ngāti Toa i raro i a Te Rauparaha. E rua ngā wā ka whakaeke mai a Ngāpuhi ki te rohe; i te tau 1810 i raro i a Patuone, ko Te Rauparaha rāua ko Te Rangihaeata o Ngāti Toa āna haumi. I whakaekengia te pā o Pūtiki; nō muri ka piki te taua i te awa. Ka horo ētahi pā, engari kia tae ki tētahi kūititanga o te awa, ka mau, ka hinga te taua o Ngāpuhi i ngā toa o Whanganui i raro i a Te Peehi Tūroa. Ko Kaiwhakauka te ingoa o te wāhi i hinga te taua o Ngāpuhi, kotahi kiromita whakararo i te tūtakitanga o ngā awa o Whanganui me Retaruke.
I te tau 1821, ka whakaekea anōtia ngā iwi o Whanganui e tētahi ope taua nō te raki. Ka hinga ngā rāwaho i ngā toa o Whanganui i raro i tō rātou kaingārahu a Hōri Kīngi Te Anaua, he ariki nō te pito whakararo o te awa. Ko Mangatoa te wāhi i tū ai te pakanga nei. E rua ngā wā e whakaeke ana a Ngāti Raukawa, e rua ngā wā e panaia ana e Te Peehi mā.
Taka rawa ki te tau 1829, i te wā e hoki ana a Te Rauparaha ki tōna kāinga hōu i te moutere o Kapiti, ka whakaekehia anōtia e rātou ko ana haumi o Ngāti Raukawa te pā o Pūtiki. Heoi, i puta te ihu o te nuinga o ngā rangatira o Whanganui i tā rātou rerenga whakarunga i te awa; whai anō kīia ai te awa, ko te ‘kōura putu roa’ (te putanga o ngā rangatira).
I te tīmatanga, torutoru noa iho ngā tūtakitanga a ngā iwi o Whanganui ki te Pākehā, ko te nuinga ko te hunga patu tohorā me ngā kaihokohoko; ko ētahi o rātou ka moe ki roto i te iwi. Whai muri i te hainatanga o Te Tiriti o Waitangi i Wanganui i te tau 1840, ka hokona ngā whenua o Wanganui ki te Kamupene o Niu Tīreni. Kāore i roa, ka kī te tāone i ngā tāngata whai Pākehā. Nā tō rātou kaha hiakai ki te whenua, ka tipu te raruraru i waenganui i ngā iwi o raro ki ngā iwi o runga. I te tau 1847, ka whakaekehia te tāone o Wanganui e Tōpine Mamaku rāua ko Te Peehi Tūroa o Ngāi Hāua-te-rangi; kāore i nui te toto i maringi.
Ko te ‘whanga nui’ te tikanga o te ingoa o te awa o Whanganui – he kōrero mō te whānui o ngā paripari tai kei reira. E mau ana i te tāone o ‘Wanganui’ te ingoa i rangona ai e te taringa Pākehā.
I ngā pakanga nui o Aotearoa, i te tau 1864, ka whakaekehia te tāone o Wanganui e ngā iwi o te taha whakarunga. He whai rātou i te Pai Mārire (Hauhau), he whakapono i whakahē ki te raupatu a te Pākehā i ngā whenua o te Māori. Ka whakaritea te wā mō te pakanga; ko te wāhi ko Moutoa, he moutere ririki kei te awa o Whanganui, kei te taha whakararo paku nei o Rānana. He parekura nui tēnei, e 50 ngā Hauhau i mate, e 16 ō ratou hoariri ka mate, tae atu ki te Pākehā. Kei te pōuri tonu ngā iwi o te awa mō tēnei parekura.
Nō muri i te pakanga ki Moutoa, ka tawhiti rawa ngā taha e rua, tētahi i tētahi; ko ngā iwi o te pito whakarunga ka whai i te Kīngitanga, ko ngā iwi o te pito whakararo ka kūpapa ki raro i te Karauna. Ka noho tōtara wāhi rua ngā iwi nei i ngā riri i te tekau tau atu i 1860. Ka puta te toa o Keepa Te Rangihiwinui (Major Kemp) i roto i ngā pakanga maha i tēnei wā.
Nō te whakaekenga rā anō o Te Kooti ki te pito whakarunga o te awa i te tau 1869, kātahi anō ka whakakotahi ngā wehenga o Whanganui i a rātou. Ka whanake whakarunga te taua a Te Keepa rāua ko Tōpia Tūroa – e 500 te rahi me ngā waka, e 65 te nui hei whai i a Te Kooti; kīhai i tutuki.
Nō te tekau tau atu i 1890 ka tīmata te toro a ngā waka kawe tāpoi ki te awa, ka puta te rongo mō tēnei ki te ao, he wāhi tino pai te awa o Whanganui mō te hunga tāpoi. Nā tēnei kaupapa me te maha noa atu o ngā āhuatanga o te ao hōu, ka rerekē te noho o ngā iwi, ka kaha te heke o ngā mahi pēnei i te mahi tuna.
Nō te tau rau tau 1800 ka tīmata ngā iwi o Whanganui ki te tono mō ā rātou pānga ki te awa; ka haere te wā roa, ka noho ko tēnei te kēhi roa rawa i te hītori o Aotearoa. Ka tīmata ngā pitihana me ngā tono ki te kōti i te tekau tau atu i 1830. Ka taka ki te tekau tau atu i 1990, ka tae te take nei ki aroaro o Te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi. A muri iho ka whitiwhi kōrero rātou mō tētahi whakataunga. I te tekau tau atu i 1970, ka parea ngā wai e rere iho ana i Tongariro ki te awa o Whanganui, kia rere kē ki ngā pā wai o Tongariro (Tongariro Power Scheme). Mai anō i taua wā, kei te whawhai ngā iwi o Whanganui me te hunga tiaki taiao kia tiakina te awa.
I te tau 1993 ka nōhia e ngā uri o Whanganui tētahi puninga o Te Papa Atawhai (Department of Conversation) i Tieke, kei te pokapū o te awa. Nā tā rātou noho ki te whenua, ka tū anō te mana whenua o te iwi, me te whai kanohi Māori o taua wāhi hei mātakitaki mā te tini manuhiri ka heke i te awa.
I te tau 1995, ka nōhia e ngā iwi o Whanganui a Pākaitore (ngā māra o Moutoa), kei te taha o te awa i te tāone o Wanganui mō ngā rā e 79. Ka tutuki te noho i runga i te rangimārie, ka takoto tētahi whakaritenga i waenganui i te kāwanatanga, te kāwanatanga ā-rohe me ngā iwi o Whanganui. Kei te putake o te kaupapa, ko te kerēme a ngā iwi o Whanganui mō te awa. Ko te titiro a ngā iwi o Whanganui, he tupuna te awa, he oranga tinana, wairua hoki.
In the New Zealand censuses since 1991, residents of Māori descent were asked to indicate the tribe to which they were affiliated. The figures below show the number who indicated the Whanganui tribes (including those who indicated more than one tribe), and the regions where they were found in the greatest numbers.
The only previous census asking Māori to indicate tribal affiliation – but not of multiple tribes – was that of 1901.
Downes, T. W. Old Whanganui. Christchurch: Kiwi, 1998 (originally published 1915).
Phillipps, W. J. Carved Maori houses of western and northern areas of New Zealand. Wellington: Government Printer, 1955.
Simon, Morvin T. Taku whare e: he mauri tu. My home my heart: the spirit dwells still. Wanganui: Wanganui Regional Community College, 1986.
Waitangi Tribunal. The Whanganui River report. Wai 167. Wellington: GP Publications, 1999.
Young, David. Faces of the river: New Zealand’s living water. Auckland: TVNZ, 1996.
Young, David. Woven by water: histories of the Whanganui River. Wellington: Huia, 1998.
He whakarāpopotonga mō te pūrongo o te awa o Whanganui kei runga i te pae tukutuku a o Te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi.