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Moetara Motu Tongapōrutu

by Angela Ballara, Henare Arekatera Tate, John Klaricich

Biography

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.


He whakaaturanga anō

Rārangi pukapuka

    Cruise, R. A. Journal of a ten months' residence in New Zealand. London, 1823

    Davis, C. O. The life and times of Patuone. Auckland, 1876

    Earle, A. Narrative of a residence in New Zealand. Ed. E. H. McCormick. Oxford, 1966

    Lee, J. Hokianga. Auckland, 1987

    Markham, E. New Zealand or recollections of it. Ed. E. H. McCormick. Wellington, 1963

    Polack, J. S. New Zealand. 2 vols. London, 1838


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)