Ngahutoitoi Paa invests in future generations
Ko Moehau ki te raki, Ko Te Aroha ki te tonga
Ko Tikapa te Moana
Ko Ohinemuri Te Awa
Ko Ngāti Tara Tokanui te Iwi
Ko Ngahutoitoi te Pā
Ko Te Awapu te tipuna Whare
Ko Hauraki te Whenua
Ko Tainui te Waka
Ko Tara te Tangata
Ngahutoitoi Pā is located 3 km South of Paeroa, in Hauraki and is home to the tribe of Ngāti Tara Tokanui.
The Ngahutoitoi Marae Trustees want to enable Ngahutoitoi to be a place where the health and wellbeing of their people and Pā are paramount. The Trustee executive consists of Chairman - Paora Raharaha, the Secretary - Caroline Karu, and the Treasurer - Mr Sonny Te Karu.
“We aspire to be a place where innovation and courage lead us into the future. Where we can invest into our future generations. To know that the work carried out in the past will lead to a healthy future for our people” says Caroline, Marae Secretary.
“The Pā is used often by whānau, hapū and iwi to meet their cultural and tikanga practices. Our Marae also serves as a venue for the use of a wide range of groups including schools, community groups, language wānanga, whānau wānanga and tikanga wānanga” says Caroline.
“Ngahutoitoi Marae Trustees have set about to rebuild and refurbish our infrastructure, to revitalise our physical world, to continue to build on our cultural competencies, identity and belonging. To identify opportunities to embrace digital capacities and to scope further opportunities to invest in economic growth and development” says Caroline.
Taking a stock take of the health and safety of the Marae, the Trustees began work on upgrading roadway and urupa, sourced and completed from fundraising and funding proposals. Marae elders and Iwi supported the Ngahutoitoi Marae Trustees to carry out a program to develop the facilities. With the inception of the Te Puni Kokiri Marae Oranga program this funding has allowed the Trustees to continue their work.
Community Waikato have been involved by facilitating the Oranga Marae Development workshops with Ngahutoitoi Marae who submitted a completed plan for funding consideration in 2021.
The Marae Development Plan identified key priority goals relating to the state of the facilities, and the cultural wellbeing of the iwi.
“Our site comprises of our Wharenui Te Awapu, Mattress Room, Ablution Block, Wharekai, our language nest Paeroa Te Kohanga Reo, our learning whare Ahurei, Ngahutoitoi Tapu Urupā and a netball court servicing as a car park when the need arises.”
“Our high priority action areas include, Tikanga Kawa, Te Reo, Building, Governance, Environment, Communication, and Economics” says Caroline.
Ngahutoitoi Pā has served as a meeting ground where Hauraki tribes have gathered to make and carry out major decisions affecting the tribes of Hauraki. The Hauraki inquiry hearings in September of 1998, the Foreshore and Seabed Hui, Te Ataarangi hui a tau, and the Ministry of Education Iwi Partnerships were held at Ngahutoitoi Pā.
The Ringatu Tohunga the late Mr Wi Kuki Kingi opened the rebuilt Wharenui Te Awapu with a dawn karakia in December of 1993. The puhi for Te Awapu is He Pounamu o Uenuku Tuau.
In 2005, the Ngahutoitoi Marae Trustees and kaumatua of Ngāti Tara Tokanui became concerned for the health and wellbeing of their people so took up the challenge and in a number of hui-a-iwi and with the support of the tribe the Marae became alcohol free followed by auahi kore on 14 August of that year.
The Marae Trustees identified that the needs of the Marae will be benefited by not just the marae affiliated people but also the wider community. The Marae Trustees have envisioned that with more updated and functional facilities they will be in better position to continue to offer hospitality and engage with wider communities and to be able to promote and practise their culture tikanga and kawa.
The land is gazetted as a Māori Reservation namely Ngahutoitoi E2C. The Marae is governed by volunteers who form the Ngahutoitoi Marae Trustees (Marae Trustees) and act in accordance with the Te Ture Whenua Act 1993, The Māori Reservation Regulations 1994 and the Ngahutoitoi Pā Charter. The Marae Trustees meet on a regular basis. The Marae has an operational arm who sit under the Marae Trustees in the form of the Ngahutoitoi Marae Committee and they carry out the day-to-day operations of the needs of the Marae.