18 NOVEMBER 2005 NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE, No. 194 4857

Rākaihautū (Akaroa Harbour), the food they would bring, and for which they were renowned, came from the bounty of their harbour.

Pollution and over-fishing of the harbour means that its use as a mahinga kai for local Māori is now much more limited, as Mr Cranwell told us.(^{10}) This initiative by the rūnaka to establish a taiāpure is the best remedy for these problems that seems to be available to them.

The harbour’s spiritual and cultural significance

The special significance of the Harbour arises secondly – but not secondarily – from the large part it played, and for some Māori continues to play, in their spiritual and cultural lives. Akaroa Harbour features prominently in the stories of identity and occupation that define the applicant hapū. Their mana arises from, and is intimately connected to, their ancestral bond with this harbour.

Rākaihautū, the Waitaha tupuna who dug the southern lakes with his kō,(^{11}) returned to Canterbury with his people and on the way buried the kō on a hill overlooking Akaroa Harbour. The hill was called Tuhiraki. Rākaihautū took up residence in the area, and lived there for the rest of his life.(^{12})

As set out earlier, Ngāi Tahu came to Akaroa in the waka Makawhiu. The arrival of that canoe is dated to a time approximately thirteen generations ago.(^{13}) They were looking for fresh lands to settle. Ngāi Tahu defeated Ngāti Māmoe in battle at the pā known as Parakākāriki. The leaders of the successful taua(^{14}) took as captives the two daughters of the conquered chief Te Ao Tūtahi, and by marrying these Ngāti Māmoe women created a line of whakapapa that linked them with this new land.(^{15}) Mr Wereta-Osborn’s evidence related how places around the harbour were named for the incidents by which Ngāi Tahu rangatira of the day claimed mana over Horomaka (Banks Peninsula), and established their respective areas of influence.(^{16}) The resident hapū of the harbour trace their whakapapa – and therefore their rightful connection to the land and the harbour – from these rangatira to this day.

In his evidence, Reverend Maurice Gray gave particular emphasis to the spiritual significance of the waters of Akaroa Harbour. He told us of the guardian taniwhā that live there, and how those taniwhā operate under the mauri(^{17}) of Tangaroa, the deity of the oceans, to protect the people and resources of the harbour:

Ā, hīkoi haere ahau ki te rohe o Ōpukutahi kei Wainui. Kei reira ko te hapū o te Kahukura. Ko te Kahukura hei mātakitaki kei ruka i te rua, te rua taniwhā o te Raki-horahina, o Te Wahine-marukore. Kei a rāura kā taniwha o tēnei moana a Whakaroa, hei mātakitaki kei ruka i te mauri a Takaroa hei paika mō kā uri o Akaroa, kōura, ika ēnei mea katoa.(^{18})

(^{10}) All the references to Mr Cranwell’s evidence come from the transcript of his evidence contained in the Nigel Scott submission, op.cit., pages 15-18.

(^{11}) “Kō” means “spade” or “digging implement”.

(^{12}) Submission of Nigel Scott, Senior Policy Analyst, Kaupapa Taiao, dated 28 September 2004, quoting Schedule 101 to the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998, Te Tai o Mahaanui/Statutory Acknowledgement.

(^{13}) Ibid, page 9.

(^{14}) “Taua” means “war party”.

(^{15}) Transcript of evidence reproduced in Nigel Scott submission, ibid, page 6.

(^{16}) Idem, pages 6-8.

(^{17}) Essential life force.

(^{18}) Transcript of Rev Maurice Gray’s evidence reproduced in Nigel Scott submission, ibid, page 13.