Pātai
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
E manakohia ana o patai, all your questions are welcomed.
Why now as Ngā Hapū o Te Ahuahu
Over the last two years hapū have been trying to organise themselves in preparation for the Crown Treaty Settlement process that will reflect the Crowns response to WAI Claims that were made on the behalf of hapū.
The name ‘Ngā Hapū o Te Ahuahu’ was decided on at a hapū hui on March 20th, 2021 held at Rāwhitiroa Marae, to reflect the primary hapū and marae based at Te Ahuahu.
Which hapū and marae are represented here?
Ngā Hapū o Te Ahuahu currently includes, Ngati Hineira, Ngati Korohue, Te Uri Taniwha, and Te Whānau Whero.
In Te Ahuahu our two Marae are Parawhenua and Rāwhitiroa who are connected to the following hapū.
Parawhenua – Ngāti Hineira, Ngāti Korohue, Te Uri Taniwha, Te Whānau Whero.
Rāwhitiroa – Ngāti Hineira, Te Uri Taniwha, Te Kopotai, Te Popoto.
Our related marae within our traditional wider boundaries of Taiamai are Ngāwha, Oromāhoe, and Tauwhara.
What are the goals of Ngā Hapū o Te Ahuahu
Our goal is to reconnect whānau back to their hapū so we can collectively work together learning and utilising the tools of our tupuna – rangatiratanga, whanaungatanga and manaakitanga as expressed in our own reo and tikanga. The reconnection of uri with hapū will help to determine our future.
Our future goals can only be shaped by learning and understanding our history. Understanding our primary relationships with our whānau, hapū, iwi, and He Whakaputanga. Followed by understanding our secondary relationships with the Crown, Te Tiriti and the Waitangi Tribunal processes.
These learnings will help us develop our own collectively determined structure and strategy that bests represents our goals for the future.
What decisions have been made at hapū hui so far
If you want to review all decisions made at hapū hui held thus far, you must first register to receive our hapū hui reports. Here is a list of some outcomes which have been shortened.
March 21st hapū hui we gathered as Ngā hapū o Parawhenua Marae –
May 15th hapū hui –
August 21-22 hapū hui –
Does Ngā Hapū o Te Ahuahu have any Waitangi Tribunal claims?
We do not hold any Waitangi Tribunal claims (WAI Claims) as Ngā Hapū o Te Ahuahu. However there are WAI claims that have listed one or more of our hapū as being on the behalf of.
Claims that are actively connected to us are currently carried and lead by the those that submitted and registered the claim to the Waitangi Tribunal, those are our ‘WAI claimants’
There also exists claims that are made on behalf of Iwi, and or Māori. Below is a list of some significant claims made so far.
Wai 262 was a Waitangi Tribunal claim about the recognition of rights around, and control of, traditional Māori knowledge, customs and relationships with the natural environment. Commonly known as the flora and fauna claim, it was first lodged in 1991 – the report was not released until 2011.
WAI 1040 Te Paparahi o Te Raki is a significant claim brought before New Zealand’s Waitangi Tribunal by the hapu of Ngāpuhi. It is in the process of considering the Māori and Crown understandings of He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga / The Declaration of Independence 1835 and Te Tiriti o Waitangi / the Treaty of Waitangi 1840. This aspect of the inquiry raises issues as to the nature of sovereignty and whether the Māori signatories to the Treaty of Waitangi intended to transfer sovereignty.
The first stage of the report was released in November 2014, and found that hapu chiefs in Northland never agreed to give up their sovereignty when they signed the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. Although the Crown intended to negotiate the transfer of sovereignty through the Treaty, the chiefs’ understanding of the agreement was they were only ceding the power for the Crown to control Pākehā and protect Māori.
WAI 2700 claims concerning Mana Wāhine, which show prejudice to wāhine Māori as a result of treaty breaches by the Crown. The first hearings with the Tribunal were heard in July 2021.
What are Takiwā and which Takiwā are we part of?
Takiwā and their boundaries were established as part of the Te Rūnanga a Iwi o Ngāpuhi roles and responsibilities to manage assets and quota under the Māori Fisheries Act 2004, on behalf of all Ngāpuhi.
Currently there are 10 Takiwā in Ngāpuhi, with Te Ahuahu within the boundaries/Takiwā of ‘Taiamai ki te Marangai’.
How can I connect or participate?
To ensure you are kept updated and connected to our progress, please register with Ngā Hapū o Te Ahuahu. Everyone has life experience, knowledge and a skill that will be welcomed. So we encourage you to connect to help grow our ability to deliver on our hopes and dreams for the future.
Best way to participate is to stay in communications with hapū, by giving feedback, committing your time, and gathering your whānau to come and engage at hapū hui, wānanga, events and the various platforms for communication such as this website, our private facebook group, monthly hapū newsletter submissions and of course emailing us.
What is He Whakaputanga and Te Tiriti?
Video below explains both the Treaty of Waitangi and the Declaration of Independence.
Who is the Crown?
The ‘Crown’ is a reference to our Treaty of Waitangi partner, the British Crown. Today the Treaty is widely accepted to be a constitutional document that establishes and guides the relationship between the Crown in New Zealand (embodied by our NZ government) and Māori.
What/Who is Te Arawhiti?
In 2018 Cabinet agreed to establish an agency to oversee the Government’s work with Māori in a post Treaty settlement era. The Office for Māori Crown Relations – Te Arawhiti (Te Arawhiti) will help facilitate this. Minister Kelvin Davis oversees Te Arawhiti.
What stage have we reached with Te Arawhiti?
Currently hapū are still working to achieve Stage ONE.