Hongi Hika taonga on display in Kerikeri's Kemp House

The three chiefly Hongi Hika taonga on display at Kemp House, in Kerikeri.

Three chiefly taonga that once belonged to notorious rangatira Hongi Hika take pride of place in Kemp House, New Zealand's oldest building.

They include two tewhatewha (long-handled fighting staff) and a pouwhenua (long-handled fighting weapon) – all of which were wielded by chiefs alone, and are a reminder of the chiefly authority that the early mission operated under.

"The taonga have been in Kemp House since the 1830s, and were cared for by the Kemp family and then the NZ Historic Places Trust – now Heritage New Zealand – when Kemp House and all its contents were gifted to the nation by Ernest Kemp, great-grandson of James Kemp, in 1974," Liz Bigwood, manager of the Kerikeri Mission Station, said.

"It became apparent that the taonga needed to be more prominently displayed in keeping with their chiefly status, and in order to illustrate the important relationships between the missionaries and the chiefs from this area.

"People can view these wonderful taonga in a specially designed and built cabinet in the parlour of Kemp House."

Hongi was a remarkable rangatira who changed Maori warfare and tribal boundaries forever.

He gave protection to the missionaries who were able to establish the Kerikeri Mission Station at the foot of his pa, Kororipo. Kemp House is the sole surviving building of that era when Maori and missionaries lived side by side in what was at times an uneasy peace.

"Hongi was a highly skilled military strategist and fearsome warrior who saw trading benefits in having the missionaries living in the shadow of his pa – including access to muskets," Ms Bigwood said.

"Missionaries like James Kemp tried to dissuade Hongi from seeking utu through warfare but failed. Over a thousand Ngapuhi warriors gathered at Kororipo with muskets to launch attacks on tribes to the south who were armed only with traditional weapons of wood and stone.

"Thousands were killed and thousands more enslaved."

Despite Hongi's reputation for ferocity in battle he was also known as a gentle family man – and keen to learn more about the missionaries' world. He sent his daughter Rongo to live with them at Kemp House to learn their ways.

"Kemp family history records that Hongi gifted these precious taonga to James Kemp before leaving for Whangaroa in 1827. They remain as a legacy of the earliest partnership between Maori and Pakeha," Ms Bigwood said.

One of the tewhatewha is a particularly striking example. Carved with metal tools, indicating it was made after Europeans arrived in New Zealand, the weapon was used for war. It still bears battle marks on the blade as well as wear on the manaia, the carved bird-like figure on the shaft that acted as a guardian.

"Tewhatewha were often referred to by Maori as the 'rakau rangatira' – or chiefly weapon – because they were almost invariably seen in the hands of rangatira."

"The weapon was used to signal warriors during battle, on the marae, or marking time for paddlers in war canoes. People who carried the tewhatewha had considerable mana."