February 02, 2026

#regional: Kororipo Pā Will Return to Its People After 190 Years

Matthew Tukaki Posted On February 2, 2026

Ka nukunuku, ka nekekeneke.
Titiro ki ngā tai o Tokerau, e hora nei.
Me he pipiwharauroa, takoto te pai – takoto te pai.

A rare moment of justice and celebration is set for 27 March 2026, as **Kororipo Pā – one of Aotearoa’s most historic Māori sites – is officially returning to Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Rēhia and their whānau after nearly 190 years of Crown and private ownership.

Kororipo Pā, located at the head of the Kerikeri Basin in Te Tai Tokerau, was once a significant fortified settlement and strategic headquarters for Māori rangatira, especially in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Its terraces, earth trenches and defensive walls still mark the site today, with onsite panels showing how the pā may have appeared in its heyday.

In the 1820s, the pā was a key base for Ngāpuhi chief Hongi Hika, who mustered warriors and canoes there before leading expeditions across the North Island during times of conflict.

Today, only the earthworks remain, but they stand as powerful reminders of the site’s role not just in warfare, but in early interactions between Māori and Europeans, long before Aotearoa became a colonial state. Kororipo became an important meeting place where Māori and European missionaries lived and traded, and where rangatira engaged in exchanges of knowledge and goods.

Despite this deep historical significance, the pā was wrongfully transferred into private ownership in 1838, and later passed into Crown control. For generations, Ngāti Rēhia and supporters have fought to have the land returned, including through Waitangi Tribunal claims and parliamentary processes. Their persistence has led to the upcoming celebration of the site’s return – kua tae tātou ki taua wā – and recognition of Ngāti Rēhia as kaitiaki on behalf of Ngāpuhi.

Te Rūnanga acknowledges the countless people and whānau who have supported the long journey – from tribunal hearings to community upkeep of the pā – and extends a warm invitation to all to come together on March 27, to stand upon the whenua and honour both the ancestors and those living today who made this moment possible.