Te Paina, to the right of the river, is currently a Crown-owned, Waikato District Council-managed reserve comprising 40ha of land. Photo / Haydn Solomon, Crystal Keretene
Te Paina, to the right of the river, is currently a Crown-owned, Waikato District Council-managed reserve comprising 40ha of land. Photo / Haydn Solomon, Crystal Keretene
Work is under way to return the historically significant site of Te Paina (Mercer Domain Recreation Reserve) to Waikato-Tainui and its hapū.
The 40ha reserve is owned by the Crown and managed by the Waikato District Council (WDC), but the council proposed that the mana whakahaere (authority) and kaitiakitanga (guardianship)should be returned.
Te Paina is of historical significance to Kīngitanga, and raupatu (confiscation) features prominently in major events over many generations, including the land wars in the 1860s.
The Department of Conservation is managing the process for the proposed transfer and is asking for submissions from the public.
Waikato-Tainui and representatives of Ngāti Naho and Ngāti Tamaoho say the return of the land has been a long time coming.
"This has been in the making since 1863," Waikato-Tainui representative Rahui Papa said. "[Te Paina] was one of the first places where the Government's troops landed on.
"The repatriation and control of significant sites of whenua (land) back into the hands of our whānau (families)... This is a hugely important moment."
As well as the land wars and raupatu, Te Paina played a part in the passive resistance against conscription during World War I and the establishment of Tūrangawaewae Marae in Ngāruawāhia more than 100 years ago, when Te Puea Hērangi, an influential leader in the Kīngitanga movement, moved her people from Te Paina to build the marae.
Council chief executive Gavin Ion says the council fully supports the proposal to reclassify the Mercer Domain (Te Paina).
"We think it is the right thing to do. Given the significance of this reserve to mana whenua, it is they who should have kaitiaki over this land," Ion said.
Work is underway to return Te Paina (Mercer Recreation Domain) to Waikato-Tainui and its hapū. Image / Department of Conservation (DOC)
Ngāti Naho representative Haydn Solomon says his hapū felt "joy and relief" when hearing about WDC wanting to return the land.
"This is where it all started in terms of the raupatu, so it's only appropriate, ironic in some ways, that it finishes here," Solomon said.
Ngāti Tamaoho representative Tori Ngataki says the return of the land would allow iwi and hapū to go through the healing process.
"100 years ago, we were flourishing in those spaces. It has been 100 years since we could walk on our whenua and start going through restoring our own whakapapa," Ngataki said.
Papa says the return of the land would also allow iwi and hapu to redesign their pepeha in a modern context.
"We ultimately talk about the Waikato River... the whenua... and the people, so this gives us a modern-day breath of fresh air into that pepeha."
Papa says return of Te Paina is an obligation and responsibility to their ancestry and mokopuna.
"It's about time that the voice of the whenua, the voice of the awa and the voice of the people are being heard again as they were heard when princess Te Puea was still resident at Te Paina."
The history of Te Paina is fundamentally linked to the Waikato-Tainui tribal narrative and features prominently in major events over many generations. Photo / Ngāti Naho and Ngāti Tamaoho
Solomon says being able to return allows iwi and hapū to breathe life back into their cultural customs.
"We can't just do it anywhere, we can only do this in those 40ha because of that kōrero that's associated with that whenua," Solomon said.
Ion says the process to return the land already started a few years ago but it is a complex process.
"The intention was for the land to be returned by this year as it has been 100 years since Te Puea Hērangi... moved her people from Te Paina to build Tūrangawaewae Marae," Ion said.
The return of the land has not been decided yet. Once the submissions process is completed, the Department of Conservation (DoC) will make a recommendation to the Minister of Conservation and after that a decision will be made.
DoC's statutory manager for Hauraki Waikato Taranaki Michelle Lewis encourages people to share their views. She says DoC has a legislative role in the process.
"Essentially, we run the process independently of the council and Waikato-Tainui – but with their support – and act as a facilitator," Lewis said.
Future plans for the land have not been finalised yet. Previously, sections of the land have been used by a motocross club, pony club and a local community group.
