Whangaroa Papa Hapū

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Whangaroa Papa Hapū

Tēnā tātou te whānau whanui o Pukamata. Welcome to our information hub for Whangaroa Papa Hapū.

This page has been created to ensure our whānau have access to updates, hui information, and key developments as we move through our future planning together. "Kua whakaae mātou katoa ki te haere rōpū Papa Hapū ki te whakahaere i ō mātou kohikohi kōrero mō ngā taonga katoa"

The purpose of the Whangaroa Papa Hapū is to provide leadership and direction on all logistical matters pertaining to the preparation, management and presentation of submissions in the Te Paparahi o Te Raki Stage Two Hearings before the Waitangi Tribunal. Currently, the Whangaroa Papa Hapū are aiming to strengthen Whangaroa claimants, hapū and themselves, through building capacity and capability to enable a positive and inclusive approach to the negotiations process, the next stage of the Waitangi Tribunal process. The Whangaroa Papa Hapū is deemed to be a joint committee of representatives elected by their respective Whangaroa rohe Wai claimants.

06/10/2026

TE ARA WENEREI | Beyond the Tribunal

Having a historical grievance heard by the Waitangi Tribunal is only part of the story.

The Tribunal is a commission of inquiry. Its role is to inquire into claims, hear evidence, consider whether Crown actions were inconsistent with the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and make findings and recommendations.

That can involve years of research, claimant evidence, historical records, hearings and Crown responses before the Tribunal issues its report.

But a Tribunal report does not automatically decide what happens from there.

This is where an important distinction sits.

The Waitangi Tribunal process and the Treaty settlement negotiation process are separate, but related. The Tribunal investigates and reports on claims. Treaty settlement negotiations are carried out directly between the Crown and claimant groups.

Settlement negotiations are not the only avenue that can sit beyond a Tribunal hearing. In some circumstances, further Tribunal processes may be available, including applications for remedies. In limited circumstances, the Tribunal also has powers to make binding recommendations. Claimant groups may also choose to enter settlement negotiations with the Crown.

So moving beyond the Tribunal is not simply a matter of moving automatically from one box to the next.

It raises a different set of questions:

What pathway is available?

What does that pathway involve?

Who are the people whose historical grievances are being carried?

And how will they take part in decisions about the way forward?

For Whangaroa, kōrero about those questions has developed over many years through claimant mahi, hui and wider discussion.

The Tribunal examines and reports on what happened. Beyond it, the focus turns to the pathways available, what they involve, and how the people concerned remain part of that process.

Source: https://whakatau.govt.nz/te-tira-kurapounamu-treaty-settlements/find-a-treaty-settlement/nga-hapu/mandate-toolkit-for-nga-hapu-o-ngapuhi

05/10/2026

WANANGA | Tikanga & Tino Rangatiratanga

What do tikanga and tino rangatiratanga mean for us, and what do they look like in practice?

We invite ngā uri o Whangaroa to come together for a day of kōrero, learning and whakaaro, facilitated by Erimana Taniora.

The morning will focus on Tikanga, followed in the afternoon by Tino Rangatiratanga — creating space to explore these kaupapa together, ask pātai and share kōrero.

📅 Saturday 31 October 2026
🕤 9.30am – 4.30pm
📍 Te Patunga Marae

Whether these are kaupapa you know well, or are wanting to understand.

Nau mai, haere mai.

04/10/2026

MĀUMAHARA MANE | Mangawhai

Some places were lived in all year.

Others came alive with the season.

Mangawhai was one of those places.

The Whangaroa Oral and Traditional History Report records Mangawhai as a rock on the southern beach at Matauri.

But around that name sits another memory.

A memory of whānau moving.

As spring turned towards summer, whānau from Matauri would begin shifting down towards the coast.

The report records Ngāti Kura camping at Mangawhai, at the southern end of Matauri, from around the end of November until the beginning of March.

The movement followed the kai.

Mere Apiata remembered that after the mutton-birding season finished around mid-November, there was a short lull.

Then the whānau began moving to the beach.

Through the summer months came takeke, mullet and kahawai.

Later came the maomao.

Some years, the fishing season stretched further into winter before whānau returned home.

Knowledge of when the fish came, what could be taken, and when it was time to move was simply part of knowing the place.

And when the whānau came down from the forests, they made do with what was there.

Some stayed in boatsheds at Putataua.

Others lived in caravans, tents and shacks near Mangawhai.

For weeks and months, another part of Matauri became home.

Not because summer had arrived on the calendar.

But because the kai had.

Mangawhai marks more than a rock on the southern beach. It holds the memory of whānau, kai and seasonal movement.

It remembers whānau who knew when to move.

When to fish.

When to stay.

And when the season told them it was time to return.

Source: Oral & Traditional History Report for Te Rohe o Whangaroahttps://whangaroapapahapu.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/E032Oral%26Trad-Harris.pdf

Pic: This is not an actual image of Mangawhai, but a visual interpretation of how life there may have looked during those seasonal stays.

01/10/2026

ŌU PĀTAI PARAIRE | What Is Redress?

One kupu that comes up a lot when we're talking about our historical grievances is redress.

But what does it mean?

Redress is about acknowledging what happened and finding ways to make amends.

In the historical Treaty settlement process, redress is the word used for the different ways the Crown can acknowledge and respond to historical Treaty breaches and the harm that followed.

And it isn't just about money.

Redress can include acknowledging and recording what happened.

It can include a formal Crown apology.

It can involve whenua, wāhi tapu, taonga, place names, the natural environment and other things of cultural significance.

And it can include financial and commercial redress.

Often, it is a combination of these things.

Perhaps the simplest way to understand it is:

The grievance tells the story of what happened and the harm caused. Redress is about what can be done in response.

But redress doesn't erase the past.

An apology cannot change what happened.

Money cannot put a value on generations of loss.

And reconnecting people with whenua, places or taonga cannot necessarily restore everything that was lost along the way.

That is why redress is probably better understood as an attempt to acknowledge the wrong and make amends for it, rather than somehow making everything right again.

And it doesn't look exactly the same everywhere.

Different historical grievances have led to different forms of redress across Aotearoa.

So when we hear people talking about redress for historical grievances, it doesn't simply mean compensation.

It raises a much bigger pātai:

What can making amends actually look like?

29/09/2026

TE ARA WENEREI | The Journey of a Claim

Last week we talked about where historical grievances come from.

They belong to people, whānau and hapū — carrying histories, whenua, tūpuna and experiences that existed long before any formal process began.

For many, one way those grievances were carried forward was through the Waitangi Tribunal.

A claim was brought.

Once registered, it became part of a process that could involve much more mahi.

Further research was undertaken.

Historical records were examined.

Whakapapa, kōrero tuku iho and other evidence were gathered.

Claimants, kaumātua and whānau gave evidence about what had happened and the impact it had on their people.

The Crown also had the opportunity to provide evidence and respond.

Through the Tribunal inquiry, those different pieces were brought together so the claims could be examined and considered.

For some, that journey took many years.

But there is an important distinction to make here.

Having a historical grievance taken through the Waitangi Tribunal is not the same thing as settling it.

The Tribunal process and the settlement process have different jobs.

The Tribunal investigates claims, hears evidence and can make findings and recommendations.

Moving beyond that stage brings a different kind of mahi.

The conversation begins to shift from:

What happened?

to:

What pathway might be available for addressing those historical grievances?

For Whangaroa, that conversation did not begin overnight.

It developed through years of claimant mahi, hui and kōrero about what a pathway forward could look like.

27/09/2026

MĀUMAHARA MANE | Otoroa

Some places remain on our maps.

Others remain in our kōrero.

And some, over time, become harder to place at all.

Otoroa is one of those names.

The Oral and Traditional History Report for Te Rohe o Whangaroa remembers Otoroa as a place on the tablelands approaching Matauri Bay.

There, huge gardens were planted for a hākari given by Puhi in honour of his brother Toroa.

Known as Te Hākari o Toroa, the gathering acknowledged peace between the brothers after earlier hostilities over Mataatua.

The scale of the preparation tells us something.

Land prepared.

Gardens planted.

Kai grown.

People gathered.

This was not simply a meal.

It was an occasion important enough to be remembered in the whenua itself.

The place of those gardens became known as O-Toroa, named in honour of Toroa.

So when we speak the name Otoroa, we are not only naming a place.

We are touching an old kōrero of brothers, of conflict, of peace, of cultivation, and of gathering together again.

That is the depth carried in some of our old place names.

A name may fade from everyday use.

The landscape may change.

The people who first spoke it may be generations behind us.

But the kōrero can remain.

And when that kōrero is brought forward again, the place is no longer just a name on the whenua.

It begins to carry its story again.

Source: Oral and Traditional History Report for Te Rohe o Whangaroa, p.306.
https://whangaroapapahapu.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/E032Oral%26Trad-Harris.pdf

*Pic: location for orientation only

24/09/2026

ŌU PĀTAI PARAIRE | Who Sits Behind a Wai Claim?

When we see a Wai number, we will usually also see the name of a claimant — or sometimes several claimants.

Those names carry a story of their own.

They are the people who stepped forward to carry the claim. For many, that meant years of research, gathering kōrero and evidence, attending hui, working with lawyers and eventually standing before the Waitangi Tribunal.

That mahi asked a lot of those who carried it.

For many, there was also a deeply personal and emotional responsibility in giving voice to the experiences of their people.

But the name beside a Wai number doesn't always tell us the whole story.

Under the Waitangi Tribunal process, a claim can be brought by Māori about harm they themselves have experienced, or about harm experienced by a group of Māori of which they are a member. Claimants are asked to identify the people they represent — which might include whānau, hapū or iwi.

So when we want to understand one of our Whangaroa claims, there are a few things worth looking at.

Who brought the claim?

But also:

Who did they bring it for?
What grievance were they carrying?
What whenua and people did it concern?
And what did the claim itself actually say?

Sometimes the kōrero may be particular to an individual or whānau.

Sometimes it reaches across a hapū, whenua and generations.

And sometimes those things sit together.

That doesn't diminish the person who stepped forward.

In many cases, it helps us better understand the significance of what they were carrying.

Because behind a Wai number there can be much more than a name.

There can be whānau.
There can be hapū.
There can be whenua, whakapapa and generations of history.

All of these are part of the story our claims carry.

To read Wai 1040 Claimant Submisions head to our Puna Mātauranga
https://whangaroapapahapu.org.nz/library/

23/09/2026

📣 TAITE TUKU PĀNUI | Hui-ā-Hapū

He hui coming up for your hapū?

Tuesday and Thursday are Tuku Pānui days.

If your hapū is holding a hui relating to Whangaroa historical grievances or the progression of historical claims, we can help get the word out.

Today we are sharing this Hui-ā-Hapū hosted by Matauri for whānau of Ngāti Miru, Ngāti Torehina and Ngāti Kura.

To register your attendance, email: [email protected].

22/09/2026

TE ARA WENEREI | It Starts With the People

Last week we talked about the who, what and how that sit behind giving someone permission to carry out mahi on behalf of others.

This week, we dig a little deeper into the WHO.

And the first who isn't the person being given the job.

It's the people the mahi belongs to.

When historical grievances are being progressed, those grievances come from somewhere. They belong to people, whānau and hapū with histories, whenua, tūpuna and claims that existed long before anyone started talking about mandates or negotiations.

So before anyone can be given permission to act, there needs to be clarity about who they are being asked to act for.

In Whangaroa, hapū matter in that conversation.

A hapū has its own identity, its own whakapapa and its own historical experiences. Being part of a wider Whangaroa journey doesn't make those things disappear.

Coming together doesn't mean everyone becomes the same.

The collective kaupapa and the identity of individual hapū are not the same thing.

When historical grievances are progressed collectively, that means being clear about which hapū and claims are part of that collective journey.

Only then does the second WHO come into the picture:

Who will be trusted to carry that mahi?

Those people don't become the owners of the grievances or the authority behind them. They have been given a job to do on behalf of others.

So there are two very different sides to the WHO.

The people the mahi belongs to.

and

The people trusted to carry the mahi.

Understanding the difference between the two is important.

Because before we talk about structures, titles or who might sit around a table, we first need to understand where the authority comes from.

It starts with the people.

🌐 [www.whangaroapapahapu.org.nz](https://www.whangaroapapahapu.org.nz/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

20/09/2026

MĀUMAHARA MANE | Hoki ki te Whenua

Some people leave behind long speeches.

Others leave us a few words that, over time, seem to grow in meaning.

As Whangaroa remembers and farewells Rihari ‘Dick’ Dargaville, we return to words he placed on the record before the Waitangi Tribunal.

Before he spoke to grievance, he spoke to belonging.

Ko wai ahau te taha taku whaea ki Whangaroa.

Ko Ohakiri te Maunga.
Ko Whangaroa te Wahapū.
Rere ki Ririwha te Motu.
Hoki muri ki uta ko Whakaki te pā.

Titiro ki Whakarara.
Hoki ki te whenua Te Touwai ki Matangirau.
Ko Karangahape te Marae.
Ko Ngatikawau te Hapū.

In those few lines, Mātua Rihari brought his people and places with him — the whenua beneath him, the whakapapa behind him, and the hapū to which he belonged.

He went on to trace his descent through Tame Horo and Ngatau Tangiwai, carrying that whakapapa into the evidence and grievances he was helping place on record.

That evidence was part of a much longer contribution.

Through his work with Whangaroa Papa Hapū, Mātua Rihari was among the claimants and whānau who helped carry the history and grievances of Whangaroa through the years of research, hearings and hui.

It was one contribution among many, built over years and carried forward by many hands.

Sometimes only a few words are needed to leave the next generation somewhere to stand.

And beyond the words on the record was the man many of us knew — quietly steadfast, supportive, and present.

He did not need to dominate the room to make his position known. He simply kept turning up, standing alongside the kaupapa and, when needed, adding his voice.

And perhaps that is what his few words leave with us now.

Hoki ki te whenua.

A reminder of where we come from, what has been carried before us, and what we in turn carry forward.

Moe mai rā e Rihari.
Ko ngā tapuwae kua waiho mai, ka whāia tonutia.

For those who would like to read Mātua Rihari’s evidence in his own words, his Brief of Evidence to the Waitangi Tribunal is available here.
https://whangaroapapahapu.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/BoE-Rihari-Dargaville-G18.pdf

Address

8 Waikare Avenue
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Telephone

094050825

Website

http://whangaroapapahapu.org.nz/

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