Story: Te Āti Awa of Wellington

In 1835 on Matiu (Somes Island), Ngāti Mutunga transferred their rights to land around the harbour to Te Āti Awa and other Taranaki chiefs. After European settlement the island was renamed after Joseph Somes, the deputy governor of the New Zealand Company. In 1997 the New Zealand Geographic Board assigned the official name of Matiu/Somes, and in 2008 the island was returned to Te Āti Awa control as part of their shared treaty settlement with Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika.