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TE RUNANGANUI O NGATI POROU
Ko Ngati Porou he iwi whanoke – Ngati Porou is an exceptional iwi and we have many unique and exceptional stories! We say stories because every whanau, hapu and rohe has their own korero, and multiple re-tellings of that korero. The stories within Nati Story are categorised by five main themes: Rangatira (leadership); Whanau (people); Matauranga (knowledge); Kaitiakitanga (environment); and Whairawa (economy). Read a brief introduction about each theme below, or read the full essays.
Ngati Porou has a long, proud history of maintaining our own mana motuhake - our independence. From the foundations laid by our ancestors through to our new 21st century Post Settlement Governance Entity, whether fighting in wars or leading in peace, Ngati Porou have constantly sought to maintain our own form of leadership based on our values and traditions, while maintaining strong relationships with the outside world. This is a story of our leadership…
Whanau, hapu and iwi life are central to being Ngati Porou. Regardless of where we are, maintaining these connections have been crucial to our life, and we have worked hard to stay connected. We also faced many challenges, whether it was health, migration or more recently whanau dysfunction, and we would often come up with unique solutions. We also understood that our spiritual, physical and social needs were all connected to our unique and strong sense of identity. This is a story of us as a people…
Te matauranga-a-Ngati Porou is our unique tribal and hapu knowledge and way of thinking. This knowledge has been developed over generations, first through our whare wananga and more lately through Western forms of education. We have expressed this knowledge in many ways: through our arts, through our language and even through song. In recent years we been able to combine the best of new ways and old, and our matauranga has an exciting future. This is a story of Ngati Porou knowledge…
Ngati Porou are a product of our unique environment. Our cultural values, our identity and even our language has been shaped by our environment over many generations. Colonisation has placed great pressure on this, transforming and destroying our land, sea and natural life and continues to provide many challenges to our existence. Our role as kaitieki requires us to protect and nurture our environment and it will in turn protect and nurture us. This is a story of our environment…
From catching fish at the mouth of the Waiapu through to making high-quality content for new communication technologies, Ngati Porou has conducted business on its own terms, guided by its own tikanga (cultural understandings) and matauranga (knowledge systems). We have sought to engage with the global economy, building relationships with others to achieve our mutual goals. The Ngati Porou economic story has been one of innovation in the face of challenge. This is a story of the Ngati Porou economy...
