He Taonga, He Haerenga, He Ara Whakamua

During our settlement process, we were asked whether Ngāti Tumutumu would present a gift to the Crown. What began with hesitation grew into something deeper, a project grounded in tikanga, whakapapa, and the kōrero of our iwi.

When the Crown insisted that Maunga Te Aroha should be shared among all iwi of Hauraki, the Waitangi Tribunal told us to “get in the waka and start paddling together.” From that challenge, the concept of a waka hoe was born.

Within just two weeks, our kaiwhakairo Ben Whitaker was tasked with carving a hoe to carry with us to Parliament. The result was a stunning taonga, one that reflects the darkness of our negotiation journey, the struggles faced, and the determination required to emerge into the light.

Since then, more hoe have been carved. Each represents a relationship formed throughout this settlement journey; the trust built, the movement from te pō toward te ao mārama, and the evolving partnership between Ngāti Tumutumu and the Crown.

As this kaupapa continues to grow, we wanted to share a glimpse of this mahi with you all. Behind each hoe is deep whakaaro led by our tikanga and our atua. Embedded within is the guidance of our tūpuna - whose struggles echo our own - and the collective responsibility we now share to paddle our iwi toward a brighter future.

A future that includes all of us.

A future that reflects the voices, hopes, and realities of our whānau.

A future that acknowledges our history of landlessness, the forced urbanisation of our people, and the impacts of colonisation that took many of us away from our home - and from each other.

Being Māori is not defined by where you grew up, the colour of your skin, or how long you’ve been away from the whenua. You belong because you are of us.

We are rebuilding our waka.

We are gathering our paddlers.

We are strengthening our direction, one hoe at a time.

And one day, with enough of us paddling together, Ngāti Tumutumu will move beyond the negative impacts of our past and into the prosperous, united future our tūpuna dreamed of.

He hoe, he hikoinga, he huarahi mō tātou katoa.