Ngaere Maori_V0.9 (1)

At Ngāruawāhia, the Waikato and Waipā rivers come together beneath Hākarimata. This is a place of deep whakapapa, abundance and memory. The name Ngāruawāhia carries a kōrero handed down through generations — the story of Ngaere and Hekeiterangi, of two peoples, and of the great hākari held at Pukeiāhua. To understand that name, we begin with their whakapapa. Our kōrero reaches back to Wairere, a rangatira of Waikato. Tamainupō and Tūkotuku were his parents. Wairere married Hinemoa of Ngāti Māhanga, and their line continued through Whenu. When Whenu’s son was born, the kōiwi of rangatira were placed in woven kete and carried to an ancestral cave at Whāingaroa. In memory of this sacred duty, the child was named Keteiwi — the baskets that carried his tūpuna. Keteiwi married Hinemata, daughter of Paoa and Tukutuku. Among their children were Toa Kotara and his younger brother, Ngaere. Ko Waikato te iwi. Ko Ngāti Tamainupō te hapū. Ko Keteiwi te tangata. The brothers grew up at Pukeiāhua, a pā between the Waikato and Waipā rivers. The whenua was fertile. Kūmara and taro flourished, tuna and fish filled the waterways, and the hills provided birds, plants, food and rongoā. Toa Kotara, the elder, upheld the mana and knowledge of his father. Ngaere was lively, courageous and full of joy. To strengthen the relationship between Waikato and Ngāti Maniapoto, a tomo was proposed between Toa Kotara and Hekeiterangi, Maniauruahu’s daughter and a descendant of Maniapoto. At a great gathering, the visitors were welcomed with mihi, haka and waiata. Toa Kotara performed first and Hekeiterangi saw a fine young man. Then Ngaere’s kapa stood. His strength, agility and energy captured her heart. That night, Hekeiterangi sent a trusted servant to Ngaere. He was reluctant, knowing she had been intended for his brother, but he also cared for her and agreed to go. Hekeiterangi told him plainly, ‘My parents want Toa Kotara, but I have chosen you.’ Together, they made their decision. They planned to meet at the great rātā at Te Rore when Waikato began the journey home. But Maniauruahu had noticed their bond. At midnight, they fled toward Te Rore. Ngaere returned to the pā to conceal their secret, while Hekeiterangi hid beneath the rātā. By morning, Hekeiterangi was missing. As Ngāti Maniapoto searched, Waikato prepared to leave. Maniauruahu joined them, hoping to find his daughter along the way. As the waka approached Te Rore, Ngaere recited karakia, urging it swiftly onward. Hekeiterangi heard, emerged from hiding and leapt aboard. Their secret was revealed. Maniauruahu ordered the waka ashore and called to his daughter. Hekeiterangi held fast to Ngaere and refused to leave. In anger and pain, her father declared, ‘Matenga kē mōu, matenga kē mōku!’ Their paths were divided as the waka carried her toward Pukeiāhua. Time passed, and Ngaere and Hekeiterangi lived happily together. Toa Kotara became a tohunga and later married another woman. When Hekeiterangi became hapū, she and Ngaere were overjoyed, but the separation from Maniauruahu still weighed upon them. They wanted to restore the relationship with Ngāti Maniapoto. After their son was born, Ngaere invited Ngāti Maniapoto to Pukeiāhua. Some wondered whether they would come. Still, the people harvested the māra, gathered food and prepared treasured delicacies, including manu kōtutu. At last, word came that Ngāti Maniapoto would make the journey. Along the Waipā, pā after pā prepared to receive them, from Kaipārera near Pirongia to Pukeiāhua. The great travelling party was led by Maniauruahu and his relative Maniaopetini. At Mangaotama, smoke rose from the pā as the hau kāinga prepared to host them. Looking across the whenua, Maniaopetini asked, ‘Nō wai ēnei whenua? Whose lands are these?’ The people answered, ‘Nō Ngaere — they are Ngaere’s.’ At each pā he asked again, and each time the answer was the same: ‘Nō Ngaere.’ By Pahīwai, Maniaopetini understood the extent of Ngaere’s mana. He acknowledged that he had been mistaken to think Ngaere was not worthy of Hekeiterangi. When Ngāti Maniapoto arrived at Pukeiāhua, Hekeiterangi was reunited with her people. Maniauruahu welcomed his daughter and accepted her union with Ngaere. The mamae between the peoples began to settle. They gathered for the tohi and the naming of the child who had brought Waikato and Ngāti Maniapoto together. Following tikanga, the honour was given to Ngaere’s father, Keteiwi. He cradled the baby and declared, ‘Here is the son of Hekeiterangi and Ngaere. His name shall be Te Mana o te Rangi — a sign of Ngāti Maniapoto’s honouring of Waikato on this day.’ The child and his name became a tatau pounamu — an enduring peace between the two peoples. Then the celebration began. A great hākari was laid out with food gathered from the fertile lands of Pukeiāhua and from Ngā Huingā, where the waters of the Waikato and Waipā meet. Looking across the assembled people, Ngaere gave the call: ‘Wāhia ngā rua!’ — open the food pits. The rua were opened. The people feasted, sang and celebrated through night and day. The bond between Ngāti Maniapoto and Waikato was affirmed. This treasured kōrero is carried in the name Ngāruawāhia, from the words ‘wāhia ngā rua’. The ranges west of the town remember the great piles of uncooked food prepared for the hākari — Hākarimata. The rivers still flow. The whenua remains fertile. The living heritage of Ngāruawāhia continues, and the kōrero of Pukeiāhua is carried by the descendants of those who came before. Wāhia Ngā Rua is more than the story of a feast. It is a kōrero of whakapapa, choice, consequence, reconciliation and manaakitanga. It tells how relationships were restored, and how a name, a child and a place came to hold the memory of that day. Ko Waikato te iwi. Ko Ngāti Tamainupō te hapū. Ko Keteiwi te tangata. Tīhei mauri ora.