Tangata Whenua of Ohiwa

Upokorehe, Whakatohea, Ngati Awa and Tuhoe have agreed that as tangata whenua they will work co-operatively to exercise kaitiakitanga of the Ohiwa Harbour. They also acknowledge the relationship that distant iwi like Ngaitai, Te Whanau a Apanui, Te Whanau a te Ehutu, Ngati Manawa, Ngati Whare and others, have with Ohiwa Harbour.

The ethic of Kaitiakitanga

Stretching back centuries before the arrival of non-Maori, decision-making and behaviour was guided by tikanga. This affected people's social, economic, cultural, and environmental well-being. The environment sustained the people, and they sustained the environment according to the ethic and exercise of kaitiakitanga (guardianship).

he ethic of kaitiakitanga requires people to pause, reflect, discuss and demonstrate care for the environment they live in. It's about people being clear about their respective relationships with the environment - and seeking to live in union with it.
 

Enduring relationships

E noho ana ki te koko ki Ohiwa                                
Whakarongo rua aku taringa
Ki te tai o tua o Kanewa
E aki ana mai ki uta ra
Ki te whanau a Tairongo
Ko Tauwhare te kopu o te Ururoa
Ko te kai rari, noa mai te Raweketia
A te ringaringa

As I sit on the beach at Ohiwa
I listen to the waves beating over the
sandbar at Kanewa
Against the foreshore
The home of my ancestor Tairongo
My mind wanders to Tauwhare
The birthplace of the hammerhead shark
And to the foodbasket, revered by many hands

This ancient whakatauaki, handed down for many generations, demonstrates the enduring relationships of tangata whenua with Ohiwa harbour and its natural resources. The spawning place of the hammerhead shark below Tauwhare pa is an allusion to the plentiful food supplies available there to nurture the newly-born sharks. This in turn alludes to the bounteous nature of the whole harbour, and the many hands harvesting that bounty from time immemorial ('noa mai' is an abbreviation of 'noa mai ra ano', since the beginning of time).