Tieke Kāinga

Tieke Kāinga is a small Māori community in New Zealand, on the middle reaches of the Whanganui River 10.5 km downstream of the Mangapurua valley. It is centered around Tieke Marae, a converted Department of Conservation tramping hut. The surrounding land is subject to an aboriginal land claim which began with occupation of the hut in 1993.

History

Pre-European and early 20th Century

Prior to European colonisation, Tieke was a major trading center on the Whanganui River as well as a place of learning and a fortified Pā. Early in the 20th century the land changed from tribal to government, ownership although no official records of the 1906 Whanganui River Trust transaction exist today. In 1908 the marae was abandoned.^[1]

Recent land claim and occupation

The land surrounding Tieke became part of the Whanganui National Park when it was created in 1986 and, as part of the series of facilities they provided along the river, the Department of Conservation built a large hut at Tieke. In the 1990s the Department of Conservation began levying a toll on river users to maintain its huts and services, and in September 1993 Te Whanau o Tieke Māori reclaimed the land, occuping the hut and converting it into a Marae.^[1][2]

Current inhabitance

Today Tieke Kāinga is home to an extended family whose members trace their ancestry to pre-European Tieke. However, the marae also serves as a popular stop-off point for tourists canoeing the Whanganui River which is known by the canoeists as the Whanganui Journey.

Whilst the land is still formally disputed, the Department of Conservation and the Te Whanau o Tieke Māori have developed an amicable and co-operative relationship, working together to upgrade and maintain facilities at Tieke Kāinga.^[3]

Media interest

Whilst the Moutoa Gardens occupation attracted greater media interest, in 1999 the Tieki land claim was featured in the article "The Family at Tieke" in New Zealand Geographic by writer Vaugan Yarwood and photographer Fraser Harding.^[4]

External links

• Te Whanau o Tieke The complete exhibition of photographs of The Family at Tieke by photographer Fraser Harding
• "New Zealand Geographic " Online

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Tieke information page. Retrieved April 9, 2007
2. ^ Te Ara - Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved April 9, 2007
3. ^ Department of Conservation report on Ministerial visit to Tieke Kāinga. Retrieved April 9, 2007
4. ^ The Family at Tieke, New Zealand Geographic (pp 112-123), Issue 43, July - September 1999.