Tainui whanau/hapu and iwi are connected through tupuna who once occupied whenua on both sides of Whaingaroa moana.  Initially tupuna were mobile and lived at different places depending on the seasons’ food supplies and kaupapa. When the British arrived  in the late 1700’s, major changes occurred, one of the biggest after Raupatu was the setting up of  the Native Land Court in the 1860’s to turn whenua into individual lots so it could be easily acquired by settlers.   Tupuna were expected to travel long distances to prove to the court that they were entitled to have their names on the List of Owners for a particular piece of land. Many  who didn’t understand the system and didn’t attend ended up landless.  

The court  divided the land into blocks Te Kopua, Rakaunui, Te Akau and Whaanga with whanau allotted individual shares.  As our whanau and hapu increase the lists of the names on the blocks grow, while the share holding decreases.  In some cases a whanau member might only own 0.0012 of a share. Regardless of the number, that member through whakapapa is a member of whanau and hapu from Whaingaroa.  There are many names on the land blocks which have not been succeeded to by descendants because they have not been told their history, they aren’t interested,  or their tupuna left over 200 years ago making their lives in another rohe such as Kaipara or te Tau Ihu.  

One of the purposes of this website is whakawhanaungatanga, connecting our whanau  to each other and to the whenua  we are all responsible for looking after it for the next generation. 

This photo taken in 1976  at Poihakena Marae (Rakaunui)  shows  Tuaiwa Rickard  and Kaumatua waiting for Minister of Lands Venn Young to arrive to discuss the return of Te Kopua land which was taken in 1941 and flattened for  an aerodrome. After the war instead of being returned it was used for fundraising by the Raglan Carnival club, for horse races, motorbike races, gokarts, car racing and finally got given to a  golf club. . The government wanted tangata whenua to pay $63K and let the golf club stay for 63 years (2035) before giving it back.   On 12th February 1978, Tuaiwa and 16 manuhiri  were arrested during a sacred service attended by 12 tohunga from around the country.  In 1983, following a number of court cases with the Crown, the golf club moved to another block of Maori land at Rakaunui  and Te Kopua  was finally returned to a 438 Trust  however because Tainui were expected to pay for it Tuaiwa would not accept the title. Despite that Tainui reoccupied the land . the 438 set up a Whaingaroa Ki te Whenua charitable trust to train the next generation in skills and provide for whanau especially children needing  support. In 1990 , Koro Wetere, Minister of Maori Affairs removed the condition to pay $9K . Tuaiwa then went to the Land court to pick up the  Title.   In 2021  we are once again about to engage  with the Crown over settling Wai 125 a Treaty claim lodged by Uncle Hami ( Sam ) Kereopa in 1989.

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Te Kopua photograph below taken in 1910.  Note, the dunes in the front and come of the papakainga houses in the distance.  The government put the bridge in 1940 - 41 to get access to Te Kopua and Papahua land.

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