June 15, 2023
Pātea waka link to Tītokowaru’s War
Māori Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says the recovery of a lost waka is a chance to reflect on the history and achievements so south Taranaki iwi.
The waka believed to be more than 150 years old was yesterday removed from the river mud at Kuranui on the Pātea River and taken for restoration.
Ms Ngārewa-Packer says it could have been the one used to carry sick and elderly supporters of Tītokowaru, who were captured and held at Kuranui in June 1869 after Pātea Resident Magistrate James Booth reneged on an agreement to give them safe passage.
Many were taken to Dunedin as prisoners.
She says the descendants of those on the waka uphold their legacy today.