Te Waikoropupū Springs is a wāhi tapu for Ngāti Rārua located in Mōhua (Golden Bay), This is an area we share with the other manawhenua iwi Ngāti Tama and Te Ātiawa. Our shared role is one of kaitiaki and ensuring the proper care of the mauri and wairua of the waters for future generations.

Our identity as Ngāti Rārua is interwoven with the story of Huriawa, a taniwha that travels in the waters of Hine-tūāhoanga through the lands of Mōhua, resting amongst the sandstone caves and underground streams of Te Waikoropupū. Ngāti Tama during the past year have been advocating for a Water Conservation Order over Te Waikoropupū and are well supported within the local community and outside of it.

Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Rārua is in agreeance with Ngāti Tama that these sacred waters need to be protected however our favoured mechanism for doing this is via a model similar to ‘Te Awa Tupua’, a mechanism used for the Whanganui River,

“Te Awa Tupua is an indivisible and living whole, comprising of the Whanganui River from the mountains to the sea, incorporating its tributaries and all its physical and metaphysical elements.”

Further information regarding this process can be found on EPA website.

This story is part of the April 2018 Ngāti Rārua Pānui. To review the stories in the April Pānui download it here, or to see recent printed & e-mail Pānui click here