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Tārehutia te whenua e te tawhito
Tāwhiwhia te Tini a Kuī ki te whenua
Ka eke, ka eke te Māhuhu ki Kōutu
Takina te kawa ki Matatūāhu e Whakatau Pōtiki te toa tāmaua o runga Hawaiki
E tū nei a Maunganui
E tū nei a Taputapuātea hei pā tū hau i ngā tai e haruru mai e.
Uia mai he aha te take ki te whenua, ka mea atu ko te rau tītapu a Manumanu i whakatō ki Whenua Hou
Uia mai me pēhea raini te whenua e tiaki, ka mea atu ko Whaiputuputu te tauira!
Uhi, wero, tau mai te mauri
Haumi e, hui e, tāiki e!
Waipoua awa and the abound landscape has nourished and sustained this abundant and rich ecosystem since time immemorial.
The woven tapestry of life that clothe the land, the roots that bind the soil and hold the rocks allowing the waters to move, replenishing and hydrating the whole system from mountains to sea.
As tangata whenua, our whole identity and knowledge system formed to express the natural world that we are born of.
This intergenerational wisdom is contained and sustained in our language, whakapapa (the woven universe), narrative, song, textiles and dress, dance, art, cultural protocols and spiritual practice.
Tuputupuwhenua came from the interior of the earth and was not of this world. From his union with Hinekuī came Te Tini a Kuī the oldest known inhabitants of Waipoua.
They are tangata whenua. So too are their descendants!
Tangata whenua: Human earth - of the placenta of the land where our ancestors have lived and where our placenta are buried.
This is the inspiration for Te Toa Whenua, Te Toa Wai... It will be achieved by:
Reinstating principles of tangata whenuatanga
Restoring relationships to each other, to land and waters.
Reimagining tikanga tiaki to...
Revitalise Waipoua Whenua, Waipoua Awa, Waipoua Tangata through a...
Reawakening of the spirit!
Renowned throughout Polynesia for his many talents, Whakatau Pōtiki arrived in the area on the ancestral canoe, Māhuhu-ki-te-Rangi. His arrival and settlement in the new lands were ritualised at Matatūāhu, his sacred alter.
Intermarriage with the original inhabitants, Te Tini a Kuī ensued, consolidating bonds to the land and to the waters.
Generations later, in search of new lands and resources for their people, Ngāi Tamatea chiefs Manumanu and Rangitauwawaro migrated out of the Muriwhenua, eventually arriving in the abundant valley of Waipoua.
Manumanu married the beautiful maiden Maearoa of the Te Tini a Kuī people, settling at the place he called Whenuahou (New Land).
The eldest son of Manumanu and Maearoa was Manumanu II. Killed in battle, at his tangihanga his body was laid out on a kahikatea log. Lamenters commented upon the length of the corpse, exclaiming:
“Te Roroa o te tangata rei te kahikatea” (The length of the man is that of the kahikatea).
In commemoration, the name Te Roroa was adopted uniting Te Tini a Kuī, Māhuhu-ki-te-Rangi and Ngāi Tamatea people’s of Waipoua*. After some 15 generations, this name still survives to this day.
Waipoua is the ancestral heartland of Te Roroa. Consequently, the project area is host to many sites of significance and was once occupied by many Te Roroa chiefs, one of whom was Tuohu.
Tuohu was known for his industrious land use and ability to sustain his people through his agricultural prowess, knowledge of the environs and innovation.
His cousin, the high chief Tāoho referred to him as Te Toa Whenua the expert of the land. This is the inspiration for the project, and aspiration for the people
Tiopira Kīnaki, a high chief of Te Roroa, occupied these lands in the mid to late-1800s. He lived in a time of significant transition through which he sought prosperity for his people.
Te Uri o Tiopira are his direct descendants who sustain the unbroken occupation of the Waipoua since the time of Kuī and Tuputupuwhenua.
He poua ki tai, he kanae ki te wai, he tupu nō kai, he iwi mauroa i te rongopai
Poua in the tide, kanae in te waters, food on land, a nation embraced by peaceThe kaupapa is emergent and reflective of the tangata whenua worldview of Waipoua. It is the motivation and the aspiration sought through Te Toa Whenua, Te Toa Wai.
These are cultural imperatives that regulate and guide the outcomes of our behaviours.
The inherent and collective mana – mana atua, mana tupuna, mana whenua, is enhanced and maintained through courage, innovation, generosity and integrity.
We respect and uphold that which is tapu to us through dedication and practice of appropriate protocols and behaviours.
The mauri of land, waterways and people is vibrant.
We understand the whakapapa of all things and act in ways that consolidate healthy and strong relationships.
We will enact kawa that ritualise and sustain our cultural narratives to guide our actions and uphold our relationships.
These are the actions that will be enacted to realise the kaupapa.
Te Toa Whenua, Te Toa Wai is a journey of relationships, an expression of oneness, and a reconciliation of the physical and spiritual realms through a living culture to bring forth an emergence into enlightenment – Te Ao Mārama.
The relational obligations that emerge from the mātāpono and enactment of tikanga will pave the way for deeper kinship connection between the spiritual world, the natural world, people and partners.
The norms and values that regulate our human-environmental activities will maintain the life-sustaining capacity of Waipoua for future generations in accordance with custom.
Ultimately giving rise to leadership that acknowledges the mana of Te Aotūroa.
The Waipoua is a large 5th order river flowing to the West Coast between Dargaville and the Hokianga Harbour of Northland, the catchment area is approximately 352 square kilometres.
The awa originates in the Waipoua/Matarāua forest and flows north-west to the Tasman Sea, passing through areas of native forest, plantation forestry, and rural land uses.
The Waipoua has been described as the “most pristine full catchment river system in Northland” (Miller and Holland, 2008). This is due largely to approximately 75% of the Waipoua catchment being within native forest. The remaining catchment landcover comprises around 6% pasture and 16% exotic forestry.
The Waipoua Conservation Park is one of the last ancient kauri forests in the world. These temperate rain forest ecosystems contain a vast array of native flora and fauna including unknown species, yet have been reduced to a staggering 1-2% of their original size.
A critical element within the Waipoua Conservation Park is its fresh water source which flows from the mountains to the sea via the Waipoua river and its tributaries, creating and supporting a myriad of unique and diverse ecosystems. The catchment is recognised as a place of profound importance and is one of Northland’s major iconic tourist destinations. The popularity of Waipoua creates significant challenges when balancing tourism development and conservation management objectives.
A range of taonga and threatened species are present in the catchment:
