Ko tēnei tangata ko Nuku-pewapewa, he uri nō Nuku-tūmārōrō. I heke mai i ngā kāwai rangatira o Rangitāne, o Kahungunu, mai i a Te Aomatarahi rāua ko Ira; ā, ko tōna hapū ko Ngāti Kahukura-awhitia. I whānau pea ia i ngā tau tōmuri o te rau tau 1700–1799 ki Te Wairarapa. Ki ētahi kōrero ko Nuku-tūmārōrō tōna matua. Ākuanei pea hei tama kē ia mā Te Ono, te tuarua o ngā uri o Nuku-tūmārōrō rāua ko tana wahine ko Parahako. I tapaina ki a Nuku, mō tana tupuna kua rima noa atu ngā whakatupuranga e ora ana. Ko te kōrero mōna, i tāia ia ki te whakairo e kīia nei he moko pewapewa. Nō te otinga o tana moko, ka whakaroangia atu tana īngoa ki a Nuku-pewapewa. He toa mau rākau tahi rāua, nā reira ka taupatupatu ō rāua rongo – nā te tipuna rānei, nā te mokopuna rānei ngā mahi rongo nui?

I te tau 1820, ka heke mai te taua a Ngāpuhi i raro i a Tūwhare, i a Patuone, i a Nene, me ētahi atu. Ka tata mai ki Te Wairarapa, ka tae mai te karere ki a Nuku-pewapewa, kei te haere mai a Ngāpuhi me ā rātou 'pū'. Ko tāna whakahoki: 'Kei te pai. Tukua mai rātou me ā rātou pū. He toa tonu āku tāngata ki te whakatangitangi pū!' Kīhai hoki ia i mōhio he aha ngā pū a Ngāpuhi. I te taenga mai o te taua, haruru ana te tangi a ngā pūtaratara a te iwi kāinga, tioro ana ki te taringa. I te tūnga mai o Ngāpuhi, ka rangona atu tētahi pakū tino nui, ka kitea atu hoki te auahi e puta mai ana i ngā rākau e toro mai rā. Ko ētahi o rātou e auē ana i te mamae, ētahi i matemate tonu atu. Ka whakaaro a Nuku-pewapewa he aha hoki tēnei aituā? Ka kōkiri atu rātou ki te taua a Ngāpuhi, me te whakaaro anō o Nuku-pewapewa ākuni pea koia nei te 'pū' i kōrerotia mai rā. Me pēhea rā e riro mai ai i a ia ētahi o ngā pū?

Ka whakahaua tana iwi kia tūpato te tū atu i ngā tūwatawata – kua kitea atu hoki te mura o ngā pū a Ngāpuhi. Aoake, ka whakatakoto ngohi a Nuku-pewapewamā, ka mau mai tokotoru o te hoariri me ā rātou pū. Ka whakamahia ngā herehere ki te ako i tana iwi ki te mau i ngā pū. E ai ki ngā kōrero o nāianei, mehemea ka kore, ka tukua rātou mā ngā wāhine o te pā e patupatu. Mōhio tonu ngā herehere he mate kūare ka pā mai ki a rātou ki te kore rātou e whakaae ki te tono a Nuku-pewapewa. Ka whakatika ngā herehere ki te ako, ēngari kore rawa e pakū ngā pū. Ka puta te kōrero a ngā herehere: 'He tapu te pū. Kāore e pakū mō te koretake noa iho, ēngari, mō tāna mahi anō, mō te patu tangata, kātahi ka pakū.' E kōrerotia ana, ka huri tonu iho a Nuku-pewapewa ki tētahi tonu o ōna whanaunga, ka tohu atu: 'Anei te kai mā tō pū.' Ēngari, ahakoa pēhea, kāore tonu e pakū te pū rā. Kīhai a Nuku-pewapewa i mōhio kei te tinihangatia ia, kia kore ai e hurihia atu ngā pū ki a Ngāpuhi. Ko Nuku-pewapewa i haere ki Moawhango ki te pakanga ki a Rangitāne; i mauria ngā pū, he aha te aha, kāore tonu i taea e rātou te whakamahi. Riro ana anō mā ngā rākau Māori e patu te hoariri.

Ko te taua a Tūwhare, i haere tonu ki Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington Harbour), tau rawa atu ki Pari-ā-rua (Porirua). Ka taka te wā, ka tutū te iwi o Nuku-pewapewa, ka whāia a Ngāpuhi ki Pari-ā-rua, ka kōkiritia, ka horo te pā. Ka mau herehere a Te Ata-o-te-rangi, a Taunuha, a Korewa, me te tokoono i tua atu. Ka hau ngā rongo o te toa o te iwi o Nuku-pewapewa. Tere tonu te tuku mai a Te Pareihe Kai-a-te-kōkopu i tana karere kia haere atu te iwi o Te Wairarapa ki Heretaunga ki te āwhina i a Ngāti Te Whatuiāpiti ki te ngaki i ngā mate o Te Roto-a-Tara, i ngā patunga a Mananui Te Heuheu Tūkino II o Ngāti Tūwharetoa me ētahi atu o Ngāi Te Ūpokoiri.

Ko Te Pareihe e hiahia kē ana kia whakatahi rātou o Heretaunga ki Nukutaurua, i te mea kua takoto te kōrero a tana matakite, a Ngoi, pēnei: 'Kei te pātata te wā ka tae mai ētahi parekura nunui, ka ngakia ngā iwi o Te Matau-a-Māui (Hawke's Bay) ki ō rātou whenua.' Heoi he maha ngā mea i whakakāhore i tērā whakaaro. Ka mene ngā iwi o Heretaunga ki te marae o Tānenui-a-Rangi kōrerorero ai mō tō rātou wehenga atu i reira. I taua wā anō, ka tae atu a Nuku-pewapewa rātou ko ngā rerenga o Te Wairarapa ki Waimārama ki reira hanga ai i te pā o Te Pūtiki. I te taenga atu, ka puta ētahi whakaaro rerekē i waenganui i a Te Moananui rāua ko Te Hāpuku. Kāore rāua i whakaae kia haere mai a Nuku-pewapewa mā i ō rātou taha. Ka kōrero tonu a Te Moananui rāua kō Te Hāpuku mō te pakanga; ka tū atu te kaumātua o Ngāti Whakaiti, a Tūahu, ka mea: 'E hoa mā, kei whea tonu he wā mō te aroha? Nā tō kōrua teina, nā Te Pareihe i tono mai ēnei whanaunga hei āwhina i a tātou, mehemea ka patua e kōrua, he aha tā kōrua ki a Te Kōkopu?' Mōhio tonu ngā tokorua rā me waiho, kei aituā.

Ka haere ngā taua a ngā tāngata nei, a Te Pareihe, a Nuku-pewapewa, ki te pā i Nukutaurua, ka noho tahi rātou ko Te Wera Hauraki me tōna iwi o Ngāpuhi. Ka huihui rātou, ka whakatakoto i ā rātou kaupapa ki te ono kai, ki te tapahi harakeke, ki te topetope rākau, hei hoko atu ki te Pākehā kia riro mai ai he pū hoata. I taua wā, kua tae te Marikena ki ngā moana o Te Tai Rāwhiti, he patu tohorā te mahi a ētahi, he hokohoko rākau, harakeke a ētahi. Kore i roa ka riro mai ngā taonga i whāia nei e rātou. Ka tīmata a Te Wera ki te akoako i āna tāngata ki te mau pū; ehara, kua pakari, kua toa te iwi nei.

I ngā tau mai i 1820, ka rangona ngā mahi a te iwi o Te Māhia, ka putaputa mai ngā tono a ētahi o Te Tai Rāwhiti kia āwhinatia rātou ki te ngaki i ētahi mate kāore anō kia whakatauria. Ka tae mai te tono a Te Kani-ā-Takirau, rangatira rongonui o Ngāti Porou, kia ngakia ngā mate o ana whanaunga o Rongowhakaata i kōhurutia e Te Whakatōhea rāua ko Ngāi Tai. Haere mai ana te tono me te koha whakataka taua: he waka taua, he korowai, me ētahi atu taonga whakaharahara. Ka wehi a Te Pareihe ki tēnei koha whakataka taua. Ka kōrero ake ko Nuku-pewapewa: 'Ka rongo ō taringa i te karanga o te pakanga, kaua e huri whakamuri, he mate rere tōu mate!'

Ka hoki a Nuku-pewapewa rātou ko Te Wera Hauraki ko Te Pareihe ki a Mananui Te Heuheu. Rokohanga atu e tutū ana a Te Pareihe mā ki te haere ki Ōmakukura, ki te taha uru-mā-raki o Taupō-nui-a-Tia, ki te ngaki i ngā mate i Te Roto-a-Tara i ngā patunga a Te Heuheu mā. Ka hāpainga te ope a Te Pareihe, 1,600! I a rātou katoa ngā taonga hei whakamāmā i te patu tangata. Ka kōkiritia te pā i Ōmakukura, ka horo. E 400 ngā mea i matemate. Nā Te Rohu, tamāhine a Te Heuheu, i hohou te rongo.

I a Te Pareihe rāua ko Nuku-pewapewa e whawhai ana i Te Tai Rāwhiti, ka tae atu te rongo ki a rāua kua nōhia Te Roto-a-Tara e Te Momo-a-Irawaru o Ngāti Te Koherā, hapū o Ngāti Raukawa. Nā Te Pareihe rātou ko Te Wera Hauraki ko Nuku-pewapewa tā rātou ope i ārahi ki reira. Ka kōkiritia te pā, ka horo. I kō iti atu i Kahotea, ka hinga a Te Momo, ka kore ai tōna whakaaro mō te whakanoho i Te Matau-a-Māui ki te tonga.

I te hokihokinga, ka haere ētahi ki Nukutaurua, ētahi ki Heretaunga. I Nukutaurua, ka tae mai te rongo ko Te Whatanui o Ngāti Raukawa, me ētahi o Rangitāne kei te haere mā te tāwhārua o Manawatū, tae atu ki Te Matau-a-Māui, ki te ngaki i ō rātou mate i Te Roto-a-Tara. Ka tutū anō ngā ope taua a Nuku-pewapewa rāua ko Te Pareihe. Ka kōkiritia te iwi rā i Te Ruru, he pā e tū tata atu ana ki Tahoraiti; kei reira te tāone o Dannevirke o ēnei rā. Koia nei te tino pakanga nui rawa atu i waenganui i ngā iwi o Ngāti Raukawa rāua ko Rangitāne, ki a Kahungunu, parekuratia ana a Rangitāne.

Nō te hokinga atu o Nuku-pewapewa ki Ōkūrārenga, ka rongo i te mate o ngā mōrehu i Pēhikatea, i Te Wairarapa, i a Te Āti Awa, i a Ngāti Tama, i a Ngāti Mutunga. I muri i te pakanga o Pēhikatea, i te takiwā o 1833, ko te nuinga o te iwi o Te Wairarapa i Nukutaurua kē e noho ana. Ka pā pōuri a Nuku-pewapewa mō tōna iwi. Ka takatū mō te hoki ki te wā kāinga. E ai ki ētahi, kāore i whakarongo ki ōna hoa me whanga kia whakangā rātou ka haere ai, ēngari nā te kaha o te aroha, ka hoki tonu ia. Ka tae atu ki Heretaunga, ka uru mai te ope a Te Hāpuku, huihui katoa rātou e 600 te kaha.

Nō te taenga atu ki te paemaunga i Maungaraki, ki te pitonga o Whakaoriori (Masterton), ka kite iho i te maha o ngā ahi e kā mai ana; ka wehi a Te Hāpuku, ka wetea atu tana iwi, ka hoki rātou ki Heretaunga. Ko te iwi o Ngāi Te Ūpokoiri i raro i a Hoeroa i noho ki te āwhina i a Nuku-pewapewa. Ka kōkiritia te pā o Te Wharepōuri, i Tauwharerata, i te taha o Kaiwaewae (Featherston), ka whakarauoratia tana wahine,a Te Uamairangi, me tā rāua tamāhine taurima, a Te Kakapi Wharawhara-i-te-rangi me ētahi atu – 25 ngā mea i mau herehere. Kore he mea kotahi i patua. Ko Te Uamairangi i tukuna kia hoki ki tana tāne kia houhia ai te rongo. Nā te mahara o tērā wahine ki ngā manaakitanga a Nuku-pewapewa, ka hoatu tana kōtiro ki a Nuku-pewapewa. Ka hoki a Nuku-pewapewa rāua ko Te Kakapi ki Nukutaurua.

I muri mai, ka puta a Te Wharepōuri ki te tono i tāna whāngai, i a Te Kakapi. I te taenga atu, kua ngaro kē mai a Nuku-pewapewa ki te takiwā o Nūhaka. Ka riro ko Pēhi Tūtepākihirangi hei kaiwhiriwhiri i te take a Te Wharepōuri. Ka tau ki tā Tūtepākihirangi i tohe ai, kia whakahokia katoatia ngā whenua ki ngā iwi o Te Wairarapa. Nō te tau 1841 i tīmata ai tō rātou hokinga atu ki ō rātou kāinga.

I tahuri te waka o Nuku-pewapewa i Tāhaenui, i te taha o Te Wairoa. Ka hāpaia e te tai; te taunga iho ki runga tonu i tana ūpoko, mate tonu atu. Nui atu te tangi me te aroha o tōna iwi, i te mea nā āna mahi i ora ai te mana o ana iwi, o Te Wairarapa. I whakairohia tana waka, ka whakatūria e ngā iwi o Te Māhia ki Whakakī hei tohu whakamaharatanga ki a ia. Kei te pā o Pāpāwai i te taha o Hūpēnui (Greytown), e tū ana te pou i te tūwatawata, he whakamaharatanga nā tōna iwi ake ki tēnei rangatira toa, ki a Nuku-pewapewa.

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

Angela Ballara. 'Nuku-pewapewa', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1990, updated o Hepetema, 2011. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/biographies/1n16/nuku-pewapewa (accessed 21 April 2024)