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| Ngāti Kuia | |
|---|---|
| Iwi name | Ngāti Kuia |
| Waka | Kurahaupō (canoe), Takitimu (waka) |
| Rohe | Te Tau Ihu, Nelson, New Zealand, Marlborough |
| Hapū | Te Hapū o Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Tūmatakōkiri, Ngāti Toa |
| Marae | Omahanga Marae, Whakapuaka Marae |
| Population | est. historical |
Ngāti Kuia is an iwi of the northern South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand with ancestral links to the Kurahaupō (canoe), Takitimu (waka), and whakapapa connections across Te Tau Ihu, Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere, and Marlborough Sounds. The iwi's identity intersects with iwi such as Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō, Ngāti Rārua, and Ngāti Tūmatakōkiri through whakapapa, land use, and historical relationships. Ngāti Kuia have enduring ties to sites like Te Waipounamu, Whakaoriori, and traditional fishing and cultivation areas that featured in interactions with European explorers such as James Cook, traders like John Guard, and colonial institutions including New Zealand Company agents.
Ngāti Kuia trace descent from ancestors aboard the Kurahaupō (canoe) and Takitimu (waka), connecting to tūpuna such as Ihakara, Kuia (ancestor), and kin networks that include links to Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō, and Ngāti Rārua. Their whakapapa is interwoven with places like Rangitoto, Te Waipounamu, and Te Tau Ihu, and features genealogical ties recorded alongside events such as the migration waves chronicled by Te Arawa and narratives preserved through kaumātua affiliated with Marae such as Omahanga Marae. Oral traditions reference voyaging, settlement, and alliances connected to wider iwi histories like those of Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Kahungunu.
The rohe of Ngāti Kuia centers on Te Tau Ihu, encompassing Marlborough, Nelson, New Zealand, Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere, and coastal areas including Marlborough Sounds and D’Urville Island. Significant marae and papakāinga include Omahanga Marae, Whakapuaka Marae, and meeting places near Havelock, New Zealand, Blenheim, New Zealand, and Mōhua / Golden Bay. Customary fishing grounds and mahinga kai sites border landmarks such as Raukawa Bay, Te-Whanganui / Port Underwood, and waterways like Pelorus River used historically for kai moana and seasonal resource gathering tied to hapū obligations recognized by neighboring iwi including Ngāti Toa and Ngāti Rārua.
Pre-contact history shows Ngāti Kuia engaged in inter-iwi relations with Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Rārua, and Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō while occupying Te Tau Ihu and utilizing resources from Marlborough Sounds. Early European contact involved figures like James Cook, Abel Tasman, and traders such as John Guard and Captain John Ward as whaling and sealing expanded in the early nineteenth century. The signing and impacts of colonial instruments involved actors from the New Zealand Company and officials in Wellington, leading to land transactions contested in the later Waitangi Tribunal era and claims investigated alongside processes used by Ngāi Tahu and other claimants. Conflict episodes and migrations during the Musket Wars implicated groups including Ngāti Toa and influenced settlement dynamics in the region.
Ngāti Kuia cultural practice emphasizes whakapapa, kawa, and noho marae traditions transmitted by kaumātua and kuia who maintain karakia, waiata, and haka customs shared with iwi such as Ngāti Toa and Ngāti Rārua. Material culture includes matauranga connected to harakeke cultivation, pounamu use linked to Arahura River traditions, and waka-sourcing narratives related to Kurahaupō (canoe). Ceremonial protocols are observed at marae including Omahanga Marae and festivals align with seasonal cycles around sites like Marlborough Sounds, reflecting customary rights that intersect with conservation efforts by agencies such as Department of Conservation (New Zealand) and community groups like Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Kuia.
Traditional leadership comprised rangatira and kaumātua who exercised authority through whakapapa and kawa, coordinating with hapū and marae entities such as Omahanga Marae and community rūnanga. Contemporary governance involves representation in claims and settlements processes with Crown entities, interactions with statutory bodies like Marlborough District Council and Nelson City Council, and participation in regional planning forums alongside stakeholders including Iwi Chairs Forum and neighboring rūnanga of Ngāti Toa and Ngāti Rārua. Leadership figures have engaged with institutions such as the Waitangi Tribunal and treaty settlement mechanisms practiced by other claimants like Ngāi Tahu and Te Arawa.
Historically Ngāti Kuia economy relied on mahinga kai resources from Marlborough Sounds, fishing around Te-Whanganui / Port Underwood, and cultivation of kūmara and harakeke near sites like Raukawa Bay. Contact-era economic shifts included involvement in whaling linked to crews operating from Wellington and trading with settlers such as John Guard and merchants affiliated with the New Zealand Company. Contemporary economic participation spans fisheries management under frameworks related to Quota Management System, resource consent processes with Marlborough District Council, customary rights recognition in conservation work with Department of Conservation (New Zealand), and commercial ventures in tourism near Marlborough Sounds and Abel Tasman National Park.
Notable figures connected by whakapapa and leadership include rangatira and kaumātua who featured in regional histories intersecting with names known in archives and oral records collected by researchers at institutions like Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Alexander Turnbull Library, and local museums in Nelson, New Zealand. Events of significance include early contact encounters with James Cook and Abel Tasman, land negotiations during the New Zealand Company period, involvement in regional conflicts such as episodes tied to the Musket Wars involving Ngāti Toa, and contemporary participation in treaty claims reviewed by the Waitangi Tribunal alongside settlements modeled after those of Ngāi Tahu and other Te Tau Ihu iwi.
Category:Iwi and hapū