Iwi in Nelson

There are more than 3,600 Māori in the Nelson city area, with the majority originating from other parts of the country. The Nelson Māori population has nearly doubled in the last ten years, and has been described as the fastest growing Māori community in the country.

Six iwi (tribes) are ‘tangata whenua', or people of the land, in Whakatu/Nelson city. These are Nga-ti Kuia, Nga-ti Ra-rua, Nga-ti Tama, Te Atiawa, Nga-ti Koata, and Nga-ti Toa Rangatira. Over recent years, iwi and their entities have developed their capacity to invest in a range of top of the south business enterprises.

Examples include the Wakatu Incorporation, which is a major landowner and is involved in tourism and viticulture. It also is active politically at regional and national levels, trades with other indigenous people and is recognised for innovation and leadership in Māori economic development. Nga-ti Koata has a craft gallery at the Nelson Visitor Centre and is involved in plans for a regional airline and the production of biofuels; and Nga-ti Tama is looking at a visitor development on coastal land north of the city.

Treaty settlements have the potential to make Māori entities some of the larger investment enterprises in the region.

Regional settlement

Local legends tell that the first of the Polynesian voyaging canoes to land in Nelson was Uruao. Although the archaeological record is sketchy and the first settlement date debated, carbon dating indicates that, like the rest of New Zealand, Nelson was first settled around the ninth century.

Gardens were quickly established throughout the region, including alongside the Waimea River, and in Motueka and Riwaka, Mapua and Parapara. Hunting and gathering, along with cultivation of kumara (sweet potato), were vital to these early settlers and excavations show that a variety of fish were also consumed.

Seabirds, duck and pukeko, kaka, tui and kakariki were just some of the birdlife that provided sustenance. The abundance of seafood, birdlife and favourable gardening conditions made this land sought after.

Most villages were on the coast, close to river valleys. The location of each settlement was planned with both transport and food in mind. Canoe travel was the method of transport round the coast, with river valleys also providing access into the interior.

Information on the traditions of tribes who lived in the region before and up to the 1820s has been difficult to document in detail, in part due to the displacement of tribes. Nga-ti Tumatakokiri were settled over the whole district from Wakapuaka to Karamea by the time Abel Tasman arrived in 1642.

There are many good resources that describe the early Māori settlement and subsequent European colonisation. The information here is from the overview given in ‘Nelson A Regional History' by Jim McAloon. The book ‘Te tau ihu o te waka: A history of Māori of Marlborough and Nelson. Vol. 1, Te tangata me te whenua’ published by John and Hilary Mitchell in 2005 provides the most in-depth history of pre-European times.

Marae

Whakatu Marae in Nelson, Te Awhina Marae in Motueka and Onetahua Kokiri Marae in Golden Bay are community centres for cultural, social and recreational activities for people of all ethnic groups.

Nelson City

Whakatu Marae is the focal point for the Māori and wider community in Nelson city and is situated on Atawhai Drive. The kaupapa (basis) of the marae is manaaki nga manuhiri, aroha ki te tangata (the hosting of visitors).

Whakatu Marae has a new wharekai (dining hall) which opened in late 2005. This has enabled the marae to cater for larger groups and hui.

The kawa (protocol) is Tainui. It is the southernmost marae associated with the Kingitanga movement centred in the Waikato. The marae brings together six mana whenua iwi (local tribes): Nga-ti Koata, Nga-ti Kuia, Nga-ti Toa Rangatira, Nga-ti Ra-rua, Nga-ti Tama, and Te Atiawa.

The common ancestor for the six iwi is ‘Ka-kati'; the Whare Tupuna (Ancestral House) is named after this ancestor. The marae also has Kopuawai Te Kohanga Reo (preschool), six whare kaumatua (flats for the elderly) and a kokiri (office/training centre) that houses Health and Social services.

Whakatu Marae Health and Social Services provide health, social, education, employment and legal services. It also covers services across the whanau (community/family) sector. Whakatu Marae is constituted under the Incorporated Societies Act of 1908.

Contact Whakatu Marae for services, bookings or enquiries.
Telephone:+64 3 546 9097

Motueka

Te Awhina Marae in Motueka was established on an old pa site (fortified village) that dates back to pre-European settlement. Te Awhina Marae stands proudly under its two maunga (mountains), Pukeone and Tuao Wharepapa.

The Motueka River runs swiftly, bringing life and nourishment to the district. The tangata whenua in Motueka (people of the land) are Te Atiawa and Nga-ti Ra-rua. To incorporate these iwi, the kawa (protocol) for Te Awhina is Tai Nga Kawa (a combination of two protocols).

The first modern building on the site was Te Ahurewa Church, built in 1897. Church services are held on the third Sunday of each month. The wharekai (cooking and eating house) was opened in 1958 to provide a facility for the Māori community and, in particular, for seasonal workers who had come from all over the country to harvest tobacco and hops.

Te Awhina's carving school, the only one in the region, was established in 1987 to carve the wharenui (meeting house) and provide training in the traditional art of whakairo.

The wharenui (main meeting house) Turangapeke was opened in 1990 and two years later, the kaumatua flats, which provide housing for the elderly and enhance marae life, were also opened.

The marae offers the following services on-site:

  • Counselling Services
  • Mental Health Support
  • Quit Smoking Coach
  • Whanau Ora Nurse which also incorporates the Family Planning Service
  • Kohanga Reo (Ma-ori Language Nest)
  • Business Administration and Computing L2 and Te Ataarangi language courses

Te Awhina also caters for the Motueka, Nelson and Marlborough communities, other groups throughout New Zealand and touring parties wanting to have a marae experience. Prior bookings are essential. Above all, Te Awhina is a 'living' marae. It is vibrant in its learning, and enthusiastic in its teaching.

Te Awhina Marae
133 Pah Street, Motueka
Telephone: +64 3 528 6061
Facsimilie: +64 3 528 8995
Email:   info@tam.org.nz

Mohua Golden Bay

Onetahua Kokiri Marae is a small marae based in Pohara, Golden Bay, and is named after the significant local landmark Farewell Spit (Onetahua). It is the home marae for three local iwi: Nga-ti Ra-rua, Nga-ti Tama, and Te Atiawa, but it operates as a multi-iwi marae with the wider involvement of the whole community. The protocol there is Taranaki Kawa.

The wharenui (meeting house) was opened in January 2001, and is named ‘Te Ao Marama' meaning a new light, referring to a new (inclusive) way forward. The inside of the wharenui is a mix of traditional and modern styles, as befits a relatively new, community marae. Whales (tohora) are a strong theme and reflect the regular stranding of these animals in the area.

Onetahua Marae specialises in hui (workshops) involving natural materials and has become a centre for making and playing traditional musical instruments and painting with rock-derived colours. The marae has a weekly weaving hui usually using local harakeke (flax). It is a popular marae that is in constant use by students and other groups.

Onetahua Marae

Telephone: +64 3 525 9484
Email: paddyr@xtra.co.nz