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Waitangi Day Address by Dr Michael J. Stevens, Awarua 2021

Dr Michael J. Stevens (Kāti Rakiāmoa me Kāi Te Ruahikihiki; nō te whānau Metzger ki Awarua) Waitangi Day Address – Ngāi Tahu Treaty Commemorations Te Rau Aroha Marae 6 February 2021 A few weeks ago Tā Tipene asked me if I would like to compose and deliver a Waitangi Day Address – and by asked,…

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He Rau Mahara – Honouring our tīpuna who served in the Great War

The blessing and unveiling of He Rau Mahara, a Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu publication paying tribute to the Ngāi Tahu soldiers of WW1, was a chance for those descendants of veterans interviewed to celebrate their Papa, Pōua or great uncle and reflect on the trials they faced in the Great War. He Rau Mahara,…

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First Waitangi Tribunal Hearing of the Ngāi Tahu Claim

Today marks the 30th anniversary of the first Waitangi Tribunal Hearing into the Ngāi Tahu Claim. On 17 August 1987, the Waitangi Tribunal commenced its first hearing into the Ngāi Tahu Claim. The hearing began with a pōwhiri at Tuahiwi Marae, before moving the next day to Rangiora High School for the remainder of the…

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Banks Peninsula Deeds of Purchase

The Banks Peninsula claims consisted of three ‘purchases’ by the Crown (Port Cooper 1849, Port Levy 1849, and Akaroa 1856). The background against which these three Deeds were signed is complicated. The French claimed to have purchased the land from Ngāi Tahu by way of two deeds of sale in 1838 and 1840. At the…

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The Otago Deed, 1844

The Otago Deed of Purchase, 31 July 1844, is the oldest of the official Ngāi Tahu land purchase deeds. It conveyed land to the New Zealand Company for the Scottish settlement of New Edinburgh, later renamed Otago. The Deed was signed by 23 Māori signatories and two ‘proxies’ and saw Ngāi Tahu sell over 400,000…

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Toitū Tauraka Waka recognised as Wāhi Tūpuna

The Toitū Tauraka Waka became the first place in Te Waipounamu to be recognised for its ancestral significance as a Wāhi Tūpuna under the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014 on 22 January 2016. The entry recognises the importance of this site and its place in New Zealand’s national identity. The occasion is to…

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