He tangata waimarie a Apanui Ringamutu, te tipuna taketake o Te Whānau-ā-Apanui. I a ia e taitama ana ka tukuna ki a ia he rohe whenua i Te Tai Rāwhiti tae atu ki te awa o Mōtū. Nā ōna uri whakaheke te whenua i tāmata. Ko ngā hua o te patu tohorā ka whakahokia anō ngā painga mā te hapori. I ēnei rā, whakahaerehia ai e Te Whānau-ā-Apanui ōna rawa hao ika, poraka whenua paina me ētahi atu umanga whai hua.
He tino waimarie a Apanui Ringamutu te tipuna taketake o Te Whānau-ā-Apanui. I a ia e taitama ana ka tukuna ētahi whenua nui ki a ia i te Tai Rāwhiti, tae atu ki te awa o Mōtū. Nā ōna uri whakaheke te whenua i noho. Waihoki, ko ngā rawa i ahu i te mahi patu tohorā ka whakahokia ki te iwi. I ēnei rā whakahaerehia ai e Te Whānau-ā-Apanui āna kaupapa hao ika, ōna poraka whenua kua tipuria ki te rākau paina me ētahi atu kaupapa pakihi kua whai hua.
Ka toro te rohe atu i Taumata-ō-Apanui (kei waenganui o Tōrere me Hāwai) ki Pōtaka. E noho ana ngā hapū e 13 ki ngā whenua kei te kūititanga i waenganui i te takutai me te pae maunga o Raukūmara i te taha rāwhiti o te Moana a Toitehuatahi.
Koinei te pepeha mō te iwi:
Mai i Taumata o Apanui ki Pōtaka
Ko Whanokao te maunga
Ko Mōtū te awa
Ko Whakaari te puia
Ko Apanui te tangata
Ko Te Whānau-ā-Apanui te iwi
Kei te Paeroa o Raukūmara te maunga o Whanokao e tū ana, arā, me ahu whakatetonga mā rāwhiti i Te Kaha, ka whakatata ki te paenga whenua i waenganui i a Te Whānau-ā-Apanui rāua ko Ngāti Porou. Kei Maraenui te pūaha o te awa o Mōtū. Tū mātāhō ana a Whakaari ki mua i te aroaro o tōna iwi i ngā tau ki muri ā, tatū noa ki ēnei rā.
Tapaina ai te iwi o Te Whānau-ā-Apanui ki tō rātou tipuna a Apanui Ringamutu, e ora ana i te rau tau atu i 1600. (Ko te ingoa o Ngāti Awa mōna ko Apanui Te Haua, ko Apanui Te Kuti rānei.) Nā te tiketike o ōna tātai whakapapa me tōna mana, i maru te iwi ki raro ki tōna ingoa.
Ko tōna matua a Tūrīrangi, he uri whakaheke tika i a Tamatekapua nō te waka o Te Arawa ka tahi, nō te iwi o Ngāriki nō te waka o Tauira ka rua.
Ko tōna kōkā a Rongomaihuatahi he uri whakaheke tika nō Porourangi o Ngāti Porou. I a Apanui e tamariki ana ka whakawhiwhia ia ki ētahi o ngā whenua o Ngāti Porou, o Ngāriki hoki.
I tukuna ki a Apanui e Te Aotākaia, tōna matua kēkē i te taha o tōna kōkā, te whenua mai i Pōtikirua ki Puketapu. I kohaina e te matua o Apanui ki a ia te whenua mai i te Taumata-ō-Apanui ki te awa o Mōtū. Nō muri mai, nā tōna ringa kaha ka riro i a Apanui ngā whenua atu i te awa o Mōtū ki Puketapu.
Tokowhā ngā wāhine a Apanui, he tokomaha hoki ana tamariki. Ko tana wahine tuarua a Te Whaaki te kōkā o ā rāua tamariki tokowhitu. Ko tana wahine tuatoru a Kohepare nō Ngāi Tai, tokorima ā rāua tamariki. Ko tana wahine tuawhā a Kiritapu hei tuakana, hei teina rānei nā Te Kohepare; tokorima ā rāua tamariki ko Apanui. Ko ētahi o ana mokopuna ko Matekitatahi rātou ko Te Haraawaka, ko Hikarukautai, ko Kahurautao, ko Hinetekahu, ko Tūtawake. Whakaheke mai ai ētahi o ngā hapū o ēnei rā i ēnei tīpuna.
Ko Tūkākī te tama a Apanui rāua ko tana wahine tuatahi a Kahukuramihiata, nō Ngāti Kahungunu. Ka ū ki runga ki a Tūkākī ngā kāwai rangatira o Porourangi, o Kahungunu, o Toroa, o Tamatekapua. Kitea māramatia ai tēnei whakapaparanga i ngā tukutuku kei ngā kokonga e whā o te wharenui i Te Kaha.
Ka moe a Tūkākī i a Te Rangiwhakapunea kia whānau mai ā rāua tamariki, ko ētahi ko:
I takoto te kōrero a Apanui Waipapa o Ngāti Porou kia moe tana tamāhine a Rongomaihuatahi ki a Tūrīrangi, he uri nō Tamatekapua, nō Ngāriki o Tunapahore hoki. Nāwai, ka tū te riri ki waenganui i a Apanui Waipapa rāua ko te rangatira o Ūawa a Kahukuranui, ka patua a Apanui Waipapa.
Nō muri, i patua e Tūrīrangi ētahi o ngā uri o Kahukuranui i tētahi wāhi e pātata ana ki Tunapahore. Ka hau te rongo mō te matenga nei i te Tai Rāwhiti puta noa, tae rawa ki te iwi o Kahukuranui i Ūawa.
Whāia, ka whakaarahia e Kahukuranui he taua nui, ka hikitia te ara ki Tunapahore, he ranaki mate te take. I tō rātou whakaekenga i te pā o Tūrīrangi, ka patua a Kahukuranui. Hei tohu whakanui i tēnei toanga ka tonoa e ngā tamariki a Apanui Waipapa tō rātou tuahine a Rongomaihuatahi ki te taha rāwhiti o te Moana a Toitehuatahi, ki reira rapu ai i te tangata nāna a Kahukuranui i patu.
Ka tae a Rongomaihuatahi me tana iwi ki Tunapahore. I reira ka tūtaki, ka moe rāua ko Tūrīrangi, kia puta i a rāua te tipuna taketake o te iwi, a Apanui Ringamutu.
E ono, e whitu tau pea i muri i te moenga o tō rātou tuahine ki a Tūrīrangi, ka haere ngā tungāne o Rongomaihuatahi me ngā iwi o te rohe o Ngāti Porou ki tētahi hui nui ki Ōmāio.
I tōna rongotanga mō te hui, ka hīkoi a Rongomaihuatahi rāua ko tana tama nohinohi a Apanui Ringamutu mā te takutai i Tunapahore. I tō rāua taenga ki te kōawa i muri i te pā o Ōmāio, ka tohungia e Rongomaihuatahi tana tama kia haere atu ko ia anake, ka noho a Rongomaihuatahi ki ngā tahataha o te manga mātaki atu ai. Nō te kitenga atu o ngā kaumātua rā i te tamaiti tāne e tākaro ana i te taha o ngā tamariki o Ngāti Porou, ka tono rātou kia haria atu taua tamaiti rā ki a rātou.
Ka pātai atu ngā kaumātua ko wai ia, ko tana whakautu, koia te tama a Rongomaihuatahi. I konei ka tangi aroha atu a Te Aotākaia - te tungāne o Rongomaihuatahi - rātou ko te ope katoa o Ngāti Porou. Ka kī atu a Apanui, ā kō ake nei ka tae atu tōna whāea. I tō rātou rongotanga ake mō tēnei, ka mihi, ka tangi taua iwi rā.
Nō konei ka puta a Rongomaihuatahi i tana wāhi huna ka kotahi atu ki tōna iwi. Nā tana harikoa i te hononga o te iwi o Tūrīrangi rāua ko Rongomaihuatahi, ka whakatauria e tana tungāne e Te Aotakaia, ko ngā whenua atu i Pōtikirua ki Puketapu me tuku ki tana irāmutu, ki a Apanui Ringamutu rātou ko ōna uri whakaheke.
I te tau 1769 i tuhi a Kāpene Kuki mō te huhua o ngā kāinga kei te taha moana, te nui o ngā māra, te tini tāngata ki ngā pā me ngā papakāinga. Heoti, kāore ngā tāngata whai tōmua i hiahia ki ngā whenua o Te Whānau-ā-Apanui i te mea kāore he whanga wai hōhonu i te rohe, he tawhiti rawa hoki i ngā mākete hokohoko.
Ko ētahi o ngā Pākehā tuatahi kia tae ki Aotearoa ko ngā kaipatu tohorā rātou ko ngā kaihokohoko. I akohia e ngā kaipatu tohorā o Amerika, o Nōwei, o Wīwī, ngā tāngata whenua ki te patu tohorā. I moe ētahi o rātou ki ngā wāhine o te iwi ā, kei te rohe o Te Whānau a Apanui tonu ō rātou uri e noho ana.
Kia tae ki ngā tau tōmua o te rau tau atu i 1900 ko te mahi patu tohorā te kaipakihi tino nui, hei kaupapa mahinga tahitanga hoki mā Te Whānau-ā-Apanui. Ko ngā moni hua mai i te mahi hinu tohorā i whakapauhia ki ngā kaupapa hapori pērā i te waihanga wharenui, wharekarakia hoki.
Nō te tau 1924 ka patua te tohorā whakamutunga ki Te Kaha.
Ko tētahi anō o ngā kaipakihi matua i ngā tau tōmua o te rau tau 1900 ko te ahuwhenua. Nā ngā mahi poro rākau ka wātea te whenua e āhei ai ngā pāmu whakamōmona kau, ngā teihana hipi me ngā punua pāmu miraka kau. Nā te tīmatanga o te Mahi Whakapakari Whenua Māori (Native Land Development Scheme) ka ū ngā mahi miraka kau. I te tau 1925 ka whakatuwherahia te wheketere miraka kau o Te Kaha.
Ko Wiremu Swinton o Raukōkore te kaiahuwhenua Māori tuatahi kia riro i te Ipu Ahuwhenua i te tau 1932. Ko ētahi atu tāngata o Te Whānau-ā-Apanui i riro i tēnei ipu ko Wiremu, te tama a Swinton, rāua ko Tikirau Karehana.
Nō te tau 1961 ka oti te huarahi o te Tai Rāwhiti, ka nui ake te haere mai o te hunga tāpoi.
Kia tae ki te tekau tau atu i 1980 kua kore e puta he oranga i te miraka kau me ētahi atu mahi ahuwhenua pakupaku. I pā te kino ki a Te Whānau-ā-Apanui i te hokona a te kāwanatanga i ōna rawa tūmatanui. Nō te katinga o te poutāpeta o Te Kaha ka heke iho anō te wairua o te iwi.
He rite a Te Whānau-ā-Apanui ki ētahi atu iwi, arā, ko ētahi o te iwi i noho ki te wā kāinga, ki te tukituki i ngā ahi kā, ko ētahi o te iwi i hūnuku ki rohe kē, ki whenua kē. Tini te tangata i wehe atu i te rau tau 1900, nā ngā pakanga o te ao, nā te whai i te mātauranga, nā ngā whakangungu mahi me ngā tūranga mahi hoki.
Mai anō i ngā tau tōmua o te tekau tau atu i 1990 kua whakahaerehia paihia e te manatū o te iwi (Te Rūnanga-o-te-Whānau) āna rawa hao ika. Kua kaha haere tana whakauru ki ngā kaupapa ratonga hapori me ētahi atu whanaketanga ōhanga. Ko te nuinga o ngā ngahere paina kei runga i ngā poraka whenua e tipu ana, ka topea ā mua o te tau 2025. Kua tīmata te whakangao moni ki ētahi atu ahumahi pēnei i tētahi pae tukutuku pārongo hangarau.
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 Te Whānau-ā-Apanui (including those who indicated more than one tribe), and the regions where they were found in the greatest numbers.
Richards, Rūhīterangi. Te reo paheke. Auckland: Auckland University Press, 1991.
Te Whānau-ā-Apanui Centennial Committee. Te Whanau-a-Apanui Centennial 1875–1975 booklet. Gisborne: Gisborne Herald, 1975.
Waititi, M. He pitopito korero no nga ra ki muri: Raukokore Maori School Jubilee, 1887–1962. Gisborne: Gisborne Herald, 1962.