Connecting Maori to past with waka

CONNECTION: Awhina Twomey (in front), Shaia Twomey and Ruairi O'Conner enjoy a day out on Lake Onoke in one of the waka sourced by Reuben Tipoki. PHOTO: REUBEN TIPOKI.

A son of South Wairarapa is taking to the water to help local Maori re-connect with their heritage.

Lake Ferry resident Reuben Tipoki is setting up a waka ama (outrigger canoe) group, which will train on South Wairarapa's four main water bodies -- Lakes Wairarapa, Onoke and Pounui, and the Ruamahanga River.

The group is an extension of the Pirinoa Whanau Group, of which Mr Tipoki is a founding member, set up to promote activities on and around Wairarapa Moana.

He said the waka ama group is intended to revive water activities on Lake Onoke -- which, having once served as the food bowl of the area, had been all but unused after local Maori left in droves following conflicts with settlers a century ago.

Mr Tipoki, who was born and raised in Pirinoa, said he hoped the traditional Maori sport would cultivate an interest in both the culture and the lake's historical importance.

"It's something positive for the people of this area," Mr Tipoki said.

"Like kapa haka and te reo, waka ama is a window into the Maori world.

"It's about time Maori were perceived in a different light. For so long we've been seen as the bottom of the barrel. But we want to create a sense of pride and self-determination."

In the 19th century, Mr Tipoki said, local Maori depended on Lake Onoke, particularly the annual eel run, for sustenance and trade as far as Gisborne to the north, and Kaikoura to the south.

The eel fishing season relied on blocking of the gravel spit between Lake Onoke and the sea, and subsequent rising of lake levels.

With rising waters flooding pasture land, tensions between the settler farmers and Maori grew, with the farmers lobbying the Government for the mouth of the lake to be opened to allow flood waters to discharge into the sea.

Eventually, despite passive resistance from Maori, the mouth of the lake was opened in 1888. Later, local Maori were promised ample reserves in return for gifting the lakes to the Crown.

These reserves were 500km north in Waikato and so began a mass exodus of Maori from the area.

With Maori families now returning to the south coast, Mr Tipoki wants to help them connect with their roots -- starting with waka ama.

He has sourced three waka for the group to use. They were blessed by leading Wairarapa kaumatua and launched at the Whanau Group's Christmas event. So far, he has taken about a dozen people out on the water.

"All we need is for a few keen people to turn into a few passionate people, and that's how things grow. It gets people off the couch, and gives them something healthy to do."

Mr Tipoki said the Whanau Group would begin monitoring the quality of the water bodies at three main sites, following concerns about contamination from farming.

"Our concerns are shared throughout the nation -- that soon our rivers won't be safe to swim in.

"For example, the connection between Lake Onoke and Lake Wairarapa has been severed by the creation of agriculture."

He hoped to encourage local Maori to connect with the land by living sustainably like their ancestors.

"If we want to bring our people back here, there's no point them living here but having to go into town for everything. There are many opportunities here for people to live off the land, the sea and the lakes."