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Kōrero: Moetara Motu Tongapōrutu

Whārangi 1: Haurongo

Moetara Motu Tongapōrutu

?–1838

Nō Ngāpuhi; he rangatira, he kaiahu whenua, he kaihoko

I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Angela Ballara rāua ko Henare Arekatera Tate rāua ko John Klaricich, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1990. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.

He rangatira a Moetara nō Te Hokianga, nō te hapū o Ngāti Korokoro. I te wā i a Moetara, kua tae mai te Pākehā ki Te Hokianga, arā, i ngā tekau tau atu i 1820. I heke mai anō a Moetara i ngā tātai o Te Rarawa, o Te Roroa me Ngāti Whātua. Ko te whakaaro i whānau ia i ngā tau mutunga o te rau tau 1700–1799. He uri nō te tupuna o Ngā Puhi, arā, nō Rāhiri rāua ko tana punarua ko Whakaruru. E ai ki ngā kōrero a ētahi ko Te Aitū te matua o Moetara, ēngari ki tōna ake iwi ko Rewha kē, ko te tuakana o Te Aitū. Ko tōna whaea ko Ketekōpuru, he uri nō Iriawa, i noho ki roto i a Te Rarawa me Ngāti Manawa, i te taha raki o Te Hokianga. Ko Ngāti Korokoro i noho ki te taha tonga o Te Hokianga mai i Pākanae ki te wahapū, ā, ka huri te rohe ki Waimamaku, ki Waipoua, mutu atu ki Maunganui. Ko Kōhau te wahine a Moetara.

I a ia e taitamariki tonu ana kei tōna matua, kei a Mauwhena (Mauhena rānei), te mana ārahi i te iwi. E pakanga ana a Ngāti Korokoro ki a Te Roroa, ki a Ngā Puhi o Pēwhairangi (Bay of Islands). E ai ki ngā kōrero, ka tukuna e Moetara ki a Te Hukeumu te mana tiaki i te pā o Whiria, i te takiwā o Pākanae. Ka eke mai a Hongi Hika, ka tauria te pā o Whiria, ēngari kīhai i taea. Nō te takiwā tēnei o 1812. Nō muri mai ka hinga te pā o Matarāua i a Hongi Hika. Kei Waihou te pā nei, e tata ana ki Panguru. Ka tau te tapu ki tērā whenua, ka whakarērea e te iwi o Moetara. I te whakawāteatanga o te tapu ka nohoia motuhaketia taua whenua e Te Rarawa. Ka mahue mai tērā tikanga hei ngangau i waenganui i a Te Rarawa me Ngāti Korokoro.

I te tau 1819 ko Moetara tētahi o ngā rangatira o te ope taua o Ngā Puhi i ū ki Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Rā te taiuru te haerenga. He waitaua amio whenua, raupatu anō hoki. Ko ngā tino rangatira o taua ope ko Patuone, ko Nene, ko Tūwhare. Tae rawa atu rātou ki Te Wairarapa, ā, ka huri, ka hoki iho anō. I Taranaki ka hinga ngā whanaunga tata o Moetara. Tokorua rāua. Hei whakamaumaharatanga pea ki ngā tokorua nei i tangohia ai e ia ko Motu Tongapōrutu hei īngoa tāpiri mōna. He pā tērā, a Motu Tongapōrutu, kei te taha raro o te rohe o Taranaki. Nō te paunga o te tau 1820, ka tae mai te ope nei ki te kāinga, ki Te Hokianga.

I te mea ko Ngāti Korokoro te iwi e noho ana ki tērā tino wāhi pai i te wahapū o Te Hokianga, ko rātou te iwi hokohoko taonga ki te Pākehā mai i te tau 1820. I te tīmatanga he hokohoko rākau te mahi. He kauri hei rākau hēra kaipuke, he kahikatea hei papa whare. Ko te kaipuke tuatahi i puta i te tāhuna kia ū mai ki roto i te wahapū, ko te Prince Regent. I te marama o Āperire 1820, te wā o te ūnga mai. I raro i te mana o Mauwhena, te matua kēkē o Moetara, ka hokohoko rīwai a Ngāti Korokoro ki ngā tāngata o ngā kaipuke. Tini noa atu ngā kaipuke e taetae mai ana ki te tono rākau, poaka me te rīwai. Ka whakatū toa a tauiwi hei hokohoko i ēnei mea. Ko tētahi o ngā kāpene, ko John Rodolphus Kent. I moe ia i a Whāro, te tuahine o Moetara. Whakamīharo ana ngā iwi taetae mai ki Pākanae i te nui me te āhua nahanaha o ngā mahinga kai. Tae rawa atu ki te tau 1828, kua 200 eka te nui o ngā mahinga kai. Ko te nuinga o ngā kai nei mō te hokohoko.

Ka uru tonu a Moetara ki ngā haere a ngā ope taua i ngā tau i muri mai o te 1820. I te tau 1825, ka uru atu ia ki te ope taua o Te Hokianga i te pakanga ki a Ngāti Whātua, i Te Ika-ā-ranganui, i te takiwā o Mangawhai. He tokomaha o Ngāti Whātua i mau herehere mai i a Moetara me ngā rangatira o te ope taua o Te Hokianga. Nō muri noa mai ka tukuna e Moetara kia hoki rātou ki ō rātou kāinga. E meatia ana i te tau 1826, ka tae te ope taua ki runga o Waikato. Ko Moetara i roto i taua ope. Ko Pōmare I tō rātou rangatira. Ka hinga te nuinga o rātou i a Ngāti Maru me Waikato. Mā Te Awhitū mai te omanga iho o Moetara, e arumia ana e ngā ope o Waikato. I te taenga mai ki te wahapū. ka hereherea he mōkihi ka whakawhiti i te wahapū o Manukau. I te tau 1827, ka tae mai ki Te Hokianga tētahi tohunga tā whakaahua. Ko Augustus Earle te īngoa o taua tangata. I tana haerenga ki Pākanae i taua wā ko Moetara te tino rangatira o Ngāti Korokoro. Ko Kahi, he whanaunga tata anō ki a ia, te rangatira o te hapū o Te Hikutū. Kotahi rau te tini o rātou e noho tahi ana me Moetara ki Pākanae.

I te marama o Maehe 1828, ka tata te whawhai o Te Māhurehure o Waimā ki ngā iwi o Pēwhairangi. Tata hoki ka uru atu ngā hapū o tairoto o Te Hokianga, ki ēnei whawhai. I reira ētahi kāmura Kōtimana e noho ana. I tae mai rātou ki Te Hokianga i te tau 1826. Nuku atu ana rātou i te rohe o te parekura ki raro i te mana tiaki o Moetara. Ka whakahau a Moetara i tōna iwi kia hangā he whare noho mō aua Pākehā. Ka nuku mai hoki a Moetara, ka noho pātata mai ki a rātou.

E rua marama i muri mai o tēnā, arā, i te marama o Mei 1828, e ahu mai ana te kaipuke ko te Enterprise te īngoa, ki Whāngāpē, he whanga ki te raki o Te Hokianga; ka tahuri i waho o te wahapū. I runga i taua kaipuke he pū me ngā kariri mā Ngāti Korokoro. Rongo kau ana a Moetara, rere tonu atu ia me tōna ope ki te whiu i ngā tāngata e muru ana i taua kaipuke. E meatia ana e Augustus Earle ko te take i horo ai te whiu a Moetara i ngā kaimuru, he riri nōna mō ana rawa i ngaro, ā, hei whakaatu anō hoki ki te Pākehā he wāhi āhuru a Te Hokianga mō te mahi hokohoko. Ko te whaea o Moetara ko Ketekōpuru, nō tērā taha o Te Hokianga, arā, nō te taha raki. Nā te kaha o tana hiahia ki te mahi hokohoko ka tohe a Moetara kia whai mana ia ki ngā whenua o tōna whaea. Ko tētahi o ana mahi ki reira he aru poaka hei hoko.

I te tau 1833, ka ū mai a Te Kerenene. Ko te īngoa Māori tēnei mō J. R. Clendon. Ko te īngoa o tōna kaipuke, ko te Fortitude. He tono rākau te mahi a taua pākehā. I ū mai ki Te Hokianga, ka herea ki waho o te rae o Te Karaka. Ka rika a Moetara, i te mea ko Te Hikutū me Ngāti Manawa i whiwhi ki te mahi turaki rākau hei utanga ki runga i te kaipuke rā. Ko Te Haawai e mahi ana mā Te Kerenene i taua wā. Ka meatia e Moetara a Te Haawai kia kohikohia ētahi o Te Hikutū me Ngāti Manawa ki te muru i te kaipuke o Te Kerenene i te paenga ki Motukauri. Kua rite te hiahia o Moetara, kua wātea ia ki te tuki, ki te pei i a Ngāti Manawa. Ka whakawhiti mai rāua ko te teina, ko Rangatira, me te ope o Ngāti Korokoro ki te whawhai ki a Ngāti Manawa. Ka ū mai rātou ki Motukauri, ka tangi ngā pū a Ngāti Manawa. Ka taka te riri, whawhai ana rātou. Ka mau a Ngāti Manawa ki ngā patu me ngā tao. I mahue i te nuinga o rātou, ngā pū i te kāinga. I mau anō a Moetara i a Ngāti Manawa, ēngari i tukuna kia puta i runga i te karanga mai a tētahi rangatira o te hoariri. E rua ngā īngoa o taua parekura. Ko Te Wai-o-te-kauri, ko Motukauri.

Kāhore he whakaotinga o taua whawhai. I muri mai ka tōpū te noho o Ngāti Manawa rāua ko Te Hikutū ki te kāinga o Thomas McLean, ka tangohia ana kau mā rātou, ā, ka hangā he pā mō rātou ki ana papa rākau. Ka haere a Moetara me tōna iwi ki Koutu noho ai, ki te mira kani papa a Kāpene William Young. Ka hangā e Moetara he pā nui ki reira, karapotia ana ngā whare katoa o ngā Pākehā me tōna iwi. Ka tae mai a Patuone rāua ko Nene me te ope e 300. Ka riri a Te Rarawa ki a Moetara mōna i rau whenua ki tō rātou taha o Te Hokianga, ā, uru tahi ana, tautoko ana hoki i ngā hoariri o Moetara. Mō ētahi marama tonu rātou e ngangana ana ki a rātou, tata rawa ka pakanga ko te rohe katoa. Ēngari i te whakahokinga atu o ngā pepa o te kaipuke Fortitude, ka tau te riri, ka hohou te rongo. Ko Mohi Tāwhai o Te Māhurehure te kaihohou i te rongo. Ka oti ake ki tēnei, me noho tonu ngā iwi o ia rohe ki ō rātou ake wāhi whakaputanga oranga. Ahakoa ngā amuamu, i whakaae a Moetara kia noho a Ngāti Korokoro ki te taha tonga o Te Hokianga mahi ai i ā rātou mahi.

I te marama o Pēpuere 1834 ka whiwhi a Moetara ki ētahi tohu. He hoari, he kahu, he reta whakamihi, mōna i kohikohi anō i ngā taonga a Te Kerenene i murua rā. I ahu mai ēnei tohu i a George Arthur, te rūtene kāwana o Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania). I tua atu i ēnei tohu ka tae mai he hōiho uwha me te kūao, te utu mō ētahi whenua i hokona. Ko ngā hōiho tuatahi ēnei i tae mai ki konei. Na, ka tū tētahi hui nui i te marama o Maehe 1834, he rarakunga i ngā kōiwi o ngā toa o Ngāti Korokoro i mate ki Motukauri te take. E whā mano tāngata i taua hui. I tae atu a Moetara i runga i tōna hōiho. E mau ana ia i tana kahu me te hoari rā.

Ki ngā iwi kauhau i te Rongopai he hoa a Moetara nō rātou, he tangata pono hoki. Ko Moetara tētahi o ngā rangatira nā rātou i haina te pitihana ki te Karauna o Peretānia (Great Britain) i te tau 1831, kia tiakina tēnei whenua kei riro i te Wīwī. E haere ana hoki te rongo i waenganui i ngā kaikauhau me te iwi Māori e whakaaronui mai ana te Wīwī ki Niu Tīreni. I te 20 o Maehe 1834 i tae atu a Moetara ki te hui i Waitangi, i Pēwhairangi. Nā Te Pūhipi (James Busby), te Rehirenete (British Resident), te karanga. Kātahi anō tēnei tangata ka tae mai ki Waitangi. He mea tono mai a Te Pūhipi nā te Karauna o Ingarangi. Ko te kaupapa o te hui, he whiriwhiri kara mō tēnei whenua mei kore e ara mai he kāwanatanga i raro i te whakaminenga o ngā rangatira. E meatia ana he wāhi nui tā Moetara mō te kara i whiriwhiria. I te marama o Oketopa 1835 i haina a Moetara i te Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Niu Tīreni. He mea whakakaupapa tēnei nā Te Pūhipi hei whakatūpato ki a Hāre, Parona Te Tiari (Charles de Thierry) i hoko whenua ki Te Hokianga hei nohanga mōna, ā, kia mana motuhake ai tana tū ki tōna ake rohe kīngitanga. He tangata mātau a Moetara. He mōhio nōna ki ngā tikanga o te ao. Kāhore ia i tino whakapono e whai tikanga ana te whakaminenga o ngā rangatira.

Ko ētahi o ngā raruraru i pā pōuri mai ki a Moetara ko ngā mahi takahi tikanga a te Pākehā. Me te kite anō hoki i whānau mai tēnei āhuatanga i te poro haurangi. Ka tū te hui ki Mangungu, i te 21 o Hepetema 1835. Ko te take o taua hui he ārai atu i te waipiro kia kaua e tae mai ki konei, ā, kia kaua hoki e hokona. Ko te heamana o te hui ko Thomas McDonnell, he rehirenete tuarua (Additional British Resident). He tangata anō tēnei kua whakanohoia ki konei e te kāwanatanga o Ingarangi, ā, nā rātou ko William Young, ko Henry Oakes i tohu ko Moetara te tangata hei kaitirotiro i ngā kaipuke katoa e ū mai ana ki Te Hokianga. Ēngari kāhore i taea te ārai atu te waipiro. Ka pā tonu te raruraru, ā, i te tekau tau atu i 1836, 1837 rānei, ka ngangau tonu ngā Pākehā, rātou ki a rātou anō. Tata rawa ka whawhai a Moetara ki a Patuone rāua ko Nene. Ko Moetara hoki te kaiatawhai o Kāpene William Crow. Ko Patuone rāua ko Nene ngā kaiatawhai o ngā kaikani rākau i raro i a Crow. I muri mai ka whakapiri atu a Moetara ki a Nene rāua ko Makoare Te Taonui ki te pana i a McDonnell, tētahi o ngā tāngata nāna i tino whakararuraru tā rātou noho.

I mate a Moetara i te 23 o Tīhema 1838. Ko ngā kōrero tuku iho a Te Rarawa e mea ana i nehua atu ia ki Papanui, arā ki te taha raki o Te Hokianga. I muri mai i hahua atu ki Whāngāpē. I mua tata atu i tōna matenga i iriiria a Moetara e te Hāhi Wēteriana, ka huaina ko Wiremu Kīngi. Ka riro te mana i runga o Ngāti Korokoro i tōna teina, i a Rangatira. Nā Rangatira anō i mea ko tōna īngoa ko Rangatira Moetara. Ka hainatia taua īngoa e ia ki runga i te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

Angela Ballara, Henare Arekatera Tate and John Klaricich. 'Moetara Motu Tongapōrutu', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1990. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/biographies/1m45/moetara-motu-tongaporutu (accessed 28 March 2024)