Local Place Names
Etymology of
Whitireia
Whitireia Road is
located in Titahi Bay, Porirua.
The Porirua City Council’s ‘signpost stories’ on Whitireia Road is
‘Limit of the sun’s path in the heaven’
Mount
Whitireia is located in Titahi Bay, Porirua.
The local iwi Ngati-Toa acknowledge Mount Whitireia as their Maunga
Te Rauparaha was born to Werawera, of Ngati Toa, and his second
wife, Parekowhatu (Parekohatu), of Ngati Raukawa. Te Rauparaha was a Rangitira
(chief/leader) of Ngati Toa.
Te Rauparaha moved his tribe from Kawhia to Porirua in hope of a
better place for him and his people. When Ngati Toa’s people would travel from
the South Island through the Cook Strait on their waka, they would use Mount
Whitireia as a navigational point to guide them back home.
‘Ko Whitireia toku maunga’
View from
the top of Whitireia Maunga looking towards the Cook Straight
Here are my
results from asking people and couple of questions about Whitireia.
On Tuesday 9 September He Poutama Ako went on an excursion into Wellington City, where we visited places that held a lot of New Zealands history.
Our first destination was ‘Archives New Zealand.’ Here we were able to view the original signed ‘Treaty of Waitangi’ in the Constitution room. The room of which the treaty is in, is tapu (tapu is maori for screed). Before entering the room you are notified of the rules while looking at the treaty. The room is dark as the lighting is minimal and locked in cabinets to protect the articles. After exiting the room there is a bowl with water so you can bless yourself upon you leaving.
When walking back to the van we stopped into St Pauls church to have a look around. A concert was going to take place 25 minutes after we walked in, and people were beginning to turn up.
We then went to New World to get some lunch and drove down to Oriental Bay to eat our lunch and chat about our thoughts on seeing the Treaty.
After lunch we went to Te Papa to see their display of “Whiti Te Ra” about Ngati-Toa the local iwi of Porirua.
Ngati Toa leader Te Rauparaha is widely known to be the aurthor of the haka that the All Blacks and many other representatives of New Zealand use. There is a lot of information on the history of Ngati-Toa and how they journeyed from Kawhia to Porirua, and the life of Te Rauparaha.
Treaty of
Waitiangi – Te Rauparaha
Te
Rauparaha was presented with a copy of the treaty by missionary Henry Williams.
This is Te Rauparaha’s signature he did when he signed the Treaty of Waitangi on
14 May 1840 on Kapiti Island. Te Rauparaha signed the treaty with the
understanding that it guaranteed him and his allies the ownership of the
area/land they had acquired by conquest over the previous 18 years.
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Other
Ngati-Toa leaders signed the treaty, Te Rangi Topeora a prominent chief and her
son Henare Matene Te Whiwhi. Here are their signatures.
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Te
Rauparaha signed another copy of the treaty on 19 June 1840 on Mana Island with
his nephew Te Rangihaeata, after Major Thomas Bunbury insisted that he do so.
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Sometimes
Te Rauparaha would use his moko as his signature. He signed many legal
documents by drawing his moko. This is how he signed for the sale of Cloudy Bay
in the Marlborough Sounds. This signature is unusual as it was not finished.
The polytechnic was previously known as Parumoana Community
Polytechnic when it was first opened in 1985.
Paru was a type of mud that was plentiful and of good quality
found in the Porirua Harbour. The local iwi would use the mud to make a black
dye used by traditional weavers.
Whitireia Community Polytechnic sits on the southern end of
Porirua Harbour, on Parumoana Street. Ngati Toa were able to gather shell fish
some 100 years ago.
In September 1989 Parumoana polytechnic was now called “Whitireia
Community Polytechnic”Te Kura Matatini o Whitireia. Their slogan reading
‘onrushing brilliance from a luminous source of light, or rays engulfing
light.’
There can be many ways to which you can interpret Whitireia:
beacon of knowledge, direction, and hope.
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Whitireia Polytech Waiata link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-QCdNvVbFg#t=215
Wiremu Te Kakakura Parata (Wi Parata)
Te
Rangihiroa’s signature when he signed the Treaty of Waitangi
He was born
sometime during the 1830’s. His parents named him Te Kakakura, which is said to
have taken from the dying speech of Te Pehi Kupe, which refers to the red
feathers under the wing of the Kaka, it is symbolic of high chiefs.
In 1848
Ngati Toa had given land for the Anglican Church to build a school for the iwi
on Whitireia Peninsula, but no school was ever built there.
After
leaving parliament Parata fought several court battles over land grievances.
His biggest on of all was in 1877 when he challenged the Bishop of Wellington
Octavius Hadfield in the Supreme Court, over the Anglican Church not building
the school on the land Ngati Toa had provided. Judge James Prendergast
described the Treaty of Waitangi as ‘a legal nullity.’
