Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika

Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika
Iwi name	Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika
Rohe	Wellington Region
Waka	Taranaki?

Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika is a confederation of iwi and hapū with historical links to the Taranaki tribes who settled in the Wellington Region around Port Nicholson (Wellington Harbour). The collective asserts customary interests in parts of Te Upoko o Te Ika a Māui and engages with national institutions, regional councils and Crown entities through a negotiated settlement framework. Members participate in cultural revitalisation, resource management and collaborative governance across sites including Pōneke, Petone and Kapiti.

History

The group's ancestry traces to migrations after the Intertribal Wars and subsequent land movements involving leaders linked to waka narratives such as Tokomaru (canoe), Kurahaupō, and Tainui. Encounters with European colonists during the New Zealand Company era, the 1840 period around the Treaty of Waitangi, and later land purchases and confiscations intersected with events like the Taranaki Wars and the wider provincial disputes in Wellington Province. The urban settlement of former coastal villages near Ngaio and Thorndon followed pressures from colonial land policies and demographic shifts tied to gold rushes and settler expansion in the 19th century. Engagements with missions such as Te Aro Pa and interactions with figures like Hōhepa Te Umuroa and institutions including Colonial Government framed early legal contestation and customary recognition.

Treaty Settlement and Governance

Negotiations with the Crown culminated in a deed of settlement addressing historical grievances arising from confiscations under statutes like the New Zealand Settlements Act 1863 and administrative actions by entities such as Wellington Provincial Council. The settlement created mechanisms for co-management with agencies including Wellington City Council, Greater Wellington Regional Council, Department of Conservation, and Te Puni Kōkiri. Governance structures include a mandated trust board and representative mandate exercised through settlements instruments used in interactions with Land Information New Zealand and statutory planning under the Resource Management Act 1991. The collective also engages with national offices such as Waitangi Tribunal and periodic reviews of settlement implementation by Office of Treaty Settlements.

Hapū and Iwi Composition

Membership comprises hapū originating from principal iwi such as Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāruahine, Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Mutunga, Taranaki and others who relocated south. Affiliated hapū included groups historically based at places like Te Whanganui-a-Tara and Kāpiti Island; individual descent lines reference ancestors from waka traditions including Ngātokimatawhaorua and Aotea. Relationships extend through whakapapa connections to prominent rangatira recorded in oral histories and colonial archives, and membership is stabilised through registries used in settlement implementation and cultural programmes administered via trusts and incorporations linked to Incorporated Societies frameworks.

Cultural Practices and Marae

Traditional protocols such as marae pōwhiri and noho marae reflect continuities with ceremonial practice observed at meeting places in Pukeahu National War Memorial Park environs and coastal marae near Lyall Bay and Miramar. Kaitiakitanga responsibilities are expressed through partnerships with agencies managing taonga sites including Wellington Waterfront, Thorndon Wharf, and waahi tapu registers held by Heritage New Zealand. Oral traditions, whakairo carving, raranga weaving and kapa haka are practised alongside collaborations with institutions such as Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, New Zealand Film Archive, and local arts trusts. Commemorations occur on dates aligned with national events like Anzac Day and local anniversaries tied to land occupation and urban redevelopments.

Economic Development and Resources

Economic initiatives include property holdings in urban precincts near Te Aro, commercial investments in port-related activities at Port of Wellington, and fisheries interests coordinated through entities such as Iwi Collective Partnership models and quota arrangements under the Fisheries Act 1996. Resource co-management spans freshwater catchments draining to Hutt River and estuarine fisheries at Wellington Harbour, involving partnerships with Ministry for Primary Industries (New Zealand), Horizons Regional Council, and infrastructure bodies like Wellington International Airport. Development strategies address housing projects in former reserve areas, joint ventures with provincial developers, and participation in regional economic plans coordinated with WellingtonNZ and transport agencies including NZ Transport Agency for corridor projects.

Arts, Language, and Education

Revitalisation of te reo Māori is pursued through kura kaupapa initiatives, kōhanga reo operations, and collaborations with tertiary providers such as Victoria University of Wellington and Whitireia Community Polytechnic for programmes in tikanga, reo and iwi-specific research. Cultural production engages artists showcased at venues like Toi Pōneke Arts Centre and Te Papa Tongarewa, and practitioners work with national schemes including Creative New Zealand and Arts Council of New Zealand. Educational outreach intersects with archives at Alexander Turnbull Library, oral history projects with Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, and scholarships administered through philanthropic trusts and iwi education funds, supporting rangatahi participation in professions represented by institutions such as Wellington Regional Health and national examinations under the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.

Category:Iwi and hapū