Four Kurahaupō iwi have united to strongly reject claims made by Tā Taihākurei Durie on the New Zealand Māori Council platform, saying the assertions misrepresent their history, undermine the mana of their ancestors, and seek to rewrite long-established understandings of customary authority.
Muaūpoko, together with Rangitāne ki Manawatū, Ngāti Apa and Ngāti Wairiki, has issued a joint statement reaffirming that their tūpuna retained their mana and authority despite the upheaval that followed the Musket Wars and the migration of iwi into the lower North Island during the early nineteenth century.
The response follows comments by Tā Taihākurei Durie discussing tikanga and the re-evaluation of traditional rights and interests relating to Muaūpoko, Rangitāne ki Manawatū, Ngāti Apa, Ngāti Wairiki and Ngāti Raukawa.
According to the Kurahaupō iwi, the comments argue that authority over their people, lands and waterways passed to Ngāti Toa following the Battle of Kapiti in 1824 before later being exercised by Ngāti Raukawa after their arrival in the region.
The four iwi say they categorically reject that interpretation.
Instead, they maintain that the tikanga of the time was founded on peace-making, negotiated relationships and the containment of tangata heke, rather than complete conquest or the extinguishment of the mana of existing iwi.
The statement says Muaūpoko, Ngāti Apa, Ngāti Wairiki and Rangitāne ki Manawatū remained on their whenua and were never conquered or displaced in a manner that extinguished their customary authority.
The iwi say their ancestors faced extraordinary challenges during a period marked by warfare, colonisation and the arrival of musket-armed groups, but continued to exercise leadership and make decisions that ensured the survival and independence of their whānau, hapū and iwi.
Beyond the historical debate, the statement raises concerns about the forum in which the views were published.
The iwi argue that the New Zealand Māori Council, as a statutory body established to represent Māori collectively, should not be used to promote interpretations of tikanga that elevate the claims of one iwi while diminishing those of another.
They say this is particularly significant because overlapping customary rights and historical interests remain under consideration by the Waitangi Tribunal, where evidence and historical narratives are still being tested.
The statement also questions whether it is appropriate for the Pou of the New Zealand Māori Council, who is also a former Chair of the Waitangi Tribunal and former High Court Judge with what the iwi describes as a personal interest in the matter, to use the Council’s platform to advocate a position that remains the subject of active dispute.
Muaūpoko says it completely rejects the assertion that Ngāti Raukawa ever exercised full mana and authority over Muaūpoko people, their wai or their whenua.
While acknowledging the complexities involved in Treaty settlement negotiations and overlapping historical claims, the iwi says those processes must never come at the expense of historical accuracy or the mana of neighbouring iwi.
The joint statement concludes that Kurahaupō iwi will continue to defend their whakapapa, uphold the mana of their tīpuna, and challenge any attempt to rewrite their history.
The disagreement highlights the complexity of overlapping historical narratives that continue to shape Treaty settlement discussions and Waitangi Tribunal proceedings, where questions of tikanga, mana whenua and customary authority remain among the most contested issues in contemporary Māori-Crown relations.
#Tags:
#RadioWaatea #WaateaNews #Muaūpoko #Kurahaupō #Rangitāne #NgātiApa #NgātiWairiki #NgātiRaukawa #NgātiToa #WaitangiTribunal #TreatySettlements #TeTiriti #Tikanga #ManaWhenua #Whakapapa #TeAoMāori #Iwi #MāoriNews #CurrentAffairs #Aotearoa #History #TreatyClaims
