Skip to main content

Story: Ngāti Maniapoto

Memorial stone for the King movement

Memorial stone for the King movement

At Haurua, just south of Ōtorohanga, a memorial stone expresses Ngāti Maniapoto’s support for the Māori King movement. It was there in 1857 that Pōtatau Te Wherowhero met with his Ngāti Maniapoto relatives to seek their approval before accepting the offer of kingship. At the meeting, which was called Te Puna o te Roimata (the wellspring of tears), it was made known that the kingship was to be hereditary.

Using this item

Private collection

by Paul Meredith

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Tūhuatahi Tui Adams and Paul Meredith, Ngāti Maniapoto – The Māori King movement, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/963/memorial-stone-for-the-king-movement (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Tūhuatahi Tui Adams and Paul Meredith, published 4 March 2009, updated 22 March 2017.

Comments

Dale Po Henry / Turner
18 December 2010
Kia Ora,I,m a descendant of Waakana Turner and his second wife Te Mihi Tukemata of Waitomo.I,ve seen my Turner whanau reunion book and would love to know more about them as I was adopted out at birth.Also any information on the Tukemata line of my family would be very appreciated,I,m the only son of Jimmy Turner, who was the only son of Te Iwi Dave Turner and Roka Hinewai/Turner.Te Iwi is Waakana and Te Mihi Tukemata,s first-born, so you can appreciate my position as head of my family I hope to meet soon.