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Te Puna Waiora / Freshwater
TE PUNA WAIORA/FRESHWATER
The cultural, historical and spiritual relationship between Ngāti Mutunga and the waterways of our rohe
Table of contents
  • INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
The traditions of Ngāti Mutunga describe the cultural, historical and spiritual association of Ngāti Mutunga and the waterways in our rohe. For Ngāti Mutunga, these areas represent the links between our tūpuna and present and future generations. This history and relationship reinforce tribal identity, connections between generations and confirms the importance of freshwater to Ngāti Mutunga.
The relationship between Ngāti Mutunga and freshwater is acknowledged by the Crown through a series of Statutory Acknowledgements over several rivers in the Ngāti Mutunga rohe. The Statutory Acknowledgement requires that all consent authorities must send the Rūnanga copies of any application for resource consent for an activity within, adjacent to or impacting directly on these areas. A copy of the Statutory Acknowledgements and Statements of Association is included as Appendix 11.
CULTURAL VALUES
Water is descended from Papatuanuku and Ranginui; it is the lifeblood of the people because it sustains the growth of plants, animals and people. Our children play and bathe in the rivers in our rohe, and many sites of significance are located along waterways. Water has spiritual qualities of mauri and wairua. These qualities are related to the physical wellbeing of the water, and are damaged by overexploitation, pollution or misuse of water.
Water is often seen as a commodity, but we see water as a Taonga to be valued and respected. Our tūpuna had considerable knowledge of the ways in which to use the resources associated with water, and tikanga for the proper and sustainable use of these resources. It is our responsibility, as Kaitiaki, to ensure that these values and tikanga, as well as the water itself, endures and is passed on to future generations.
Awa (rivers) in the rohe were and still are central to the social, spiritual and physical lifestyle of the Ngāti Mutunga people. Many pā are located along the rivers, testament to the occupation of the area by our tūpuna. The Onaero, Urenui and Mimitangiatua have been occupied by the tūpuna of Ngāti Mutunga since before the arrival of the Tokomaru and Tahatuna waka.
Ngāti Mutunga utilised the entire length of each awa for food gathering. The river mouths provided a plentiful supply of pipi, pūpū (cat's eye), pātiki (flounder), kahawai and other fish. Inanga (whitebait) were caught along the banks of the river. Tuna (eel) and piharau (lamprey eel) were caught in the upper reaches of the river. Piharau were caught using whakaparu, which was a technique developed by placing rarauhe (bracken fern) in the rapids of the river in times of flood.
The tūpuna had considerable knowledge of whakapapa, traditional trails and tauranga waka, places for gathering kai and other taonga, ways in which to use the resources of the awa, the relationship of people with the river and their dependence on it, and tikanga for the proper and sustainable utilisation of resources. All these values remain important to the people of Ngāti Mutunga today.
There are specific areas of each awa that Ngāti Mutunga people would bathe in when they were sick. The awa were also used for baptising babies.
Each river in our rohe has its own mana and has significant historical and spiritual importance to our people:
The Onaero River
Puketapu and Pukemiro pā are situated at the mouth of the river. Other pā along the banks of the Onaero River includes Pukemapou, Moerangi, Te Ngaio, Tikorangi, Kaitangata and Ruahine which are all located upstream. Pukemapou was the home of Uenuku's two grandsons Pouwhakarangona and Poutitia. Pourangahau was the name of their famous whata kai.
The Urenui River
The name Urenui derives from Tu-Urenui the son of Manaia who commanded the Tahatuna waka. As an acknowledgement of his mana in the area, Manaia named the area after his son. Upon his arrival the descendants of Pohokura and Pukearuhe were residing in the area. The river was also known as Te Wai o Kura. Kura was the ancestor of the Ngāti Kura hapū who in prior times occupied this area. This name is depicted in the Ngāti Mutunga pepeha:
Mai Te Wai o Mihirau (Mimi River) ki Te Wai o Kuranui (Urenui), koia tera ko te whakararunga taniwha
The Urenui River was referred to as "he wai here Taniwha" this figurative expression was used because of the large number of pā along the banks of the river, including Pihanga, Pohokura, Maruehi, Urenui, Kumarakaiamo, Ohaoko, Pā-oneone, Moeariki, Horopapa, Te Kawa, Pā-wawa, Otumoana, Orongowhiro, Okoki, Pukewhakamaru and Tutu-manuka. The riverbanks thus became the repository of many kōiwi.
The Urenui River is a treasured taonga and resource of Ngāti Mutunga. Traditionally the Urenui River and, in times past, the associated wetland area have been a source of food as well as a transport waterway.
The Waitara River
The Waitara River takes its name from Te Whaitara-nui-ā-Wharematangi-i-te-kimi-i-tana-matua-i-ā-Ngarue. The Waitara River is important to Ngāti Mutunga as a boundary marker between Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Maru-Wharanui.
The Mimitangiatua River
The full name of the Mimi River is Mimitangiatua. The river is also known as Te Wai o Mihirau. Mihirau was an ancestress of the Te Kekerewai hapū and was a prominent woman of her time. The name Te Wai o Mihirau is referred to in a Ngāti Mutunga pepeha:
Mai Te Wai o Mihirau (Mimi River) ki Te Wai o Kuranui (Urenui), koia tera ko te whakararunganui taniwha
There are many pā and kāinga located along the banks of the Mimi River. These include Mimi-Papahutiwai, Omihi, Arapawanui, Oropapa, Pukekohe, Toki-kinikini and Tupari. There were also a number of taupā (cultivations) along the banks of the river.
Arapawanui was the pā of Mutunga's famous grandsons Tukutahi and Rehetaia. They were both celebrated warriors, especially Rehetaia who took the stronghold of Kohangamouku belonging to our southern neighbours, Ngāti Rahiri.
The Mimitangiatua River and associated huhi (swampy valleys), ngahere (large swamps) and repo (muddy swamps) were used by Ngāti Mutunga to preserve taonga. The practice of keeping wooden taonga in swamps was a general practice of the Ngāti Mutunga people for safekeeping in times of war.
To the people of Ngāti Mutunga, all the rivers and their respective valleys are of the utmost importance because of their physical, spiritual and social significance in the past, present, and future.
Ngāti Mutunga sees the welfare of the people and the welfare of the water as interlinked –
"Without healthy water you won't have a healthy rohe. And without a healthy rohe you can't have healthy people" - Jamie
GEOGRAPHY
The awa in the rohe cut through soft papa clay on their way from the bushland to the sea. The awa were once associated with large swampy areas, almost all of which have been drained. The awa have deep, slow moving water and form estuaries where they meet the coast16.
The upper reaches of the awa have high ecological values because they have not been modified by human activities. However, these areas are fragile. Because the land is so steep, and the underlying papa is easily eroded, alterations to the landscape or changes in land use may result in slips or erosion, increasing the sediment loads of the awa and degrading water quality17.
The lower reaches of the awa have been degraded by human uses and water quality is often poor due to increased levels of sediment and nutrients in the water18.
OBJECTIVE
To:
  • help ourselves and others understand the significance and value of the water within our rohe;
  • ensure that any use of water maintains the cultural and ecological values associated with water; and
  • ensure waterways are healthy and support Ngāti Mutunga customary activities
NGĀ TAKE - ISSUES
1
Lack of Crown recognition of iwi ownership of rivers, leading to an inability of iwi to develop, use and protect water resources
2
Lack of Ngāti Mutunga participation in freshwater management
3
Recognition of the special significance of particular waterways to Ngāti Mutunga
4
Protection of the mauri and wairua of waterways
5
Lack of monitoring of and information on the health of waterways in our rohe
6
Restoration of the health and productivity of waterways
7
Lack of knowledge about whether current and future uses of water are sustainable
8
Protection of wāhi tapu and wāhi taonga associated with waterways
16 Department of Conservation, Wanganui Conservancy Conservation Management Strategy, 1997
17 Department of Conservation, Wanganui Conservancy Conservation Management Strategy, 1997
18 Department of Conservation, Wanganui Conservancy Conservation Management Strategy, 1997
NGĀ KAUPAPA - POLICIES
1
Require Crown recognition of Ngāti Mutunga customary ownership of awa in our rohe
2
Require freshwater policy, planning and management recognise and provide for the role of Ngāti Mutunga as kaitiaki of freshwater
3
Encourage the development of local and regional policies which protect and enhance the mauri, or life supporting capacity, of freshwater resources throughout our rohe
4
Encourage wise management of freshwater resources, so that they provide for us and the generations that follow
5
Encourage the development of policy which protects and enhances the customary relationship of Ngāti Mutunga with freshwater resources.
6
Encourage monitoring of the health of all waterways in the Ngāti Mutunga rohe, engagement of Ngāti Mutunga in this mahi and require the distribution of all monitoring results to Ngāti Mutunga
7
Encourage all organisations undertaking research on the health of waterways in the Ngāti Mutunga rohe to share all information and findings with Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Mutunga
RIVERS AND STREAMS
Many rivers and streams flow through the Ngāti Mutunga rohe, including the Waiau, Onaero, Urenui, Mimitangiatua and the upper reaches of the Waitara river, where it forms the Ngāti Mutunga boundary .
Rivers are an integral part of Ngāti Mutunga history and identity. Three rivers are recognised in Statutory Acknowledgements and Statements of Association in the Ngāti Mutunga Deed of Settlement to acknowledge their significance. These are included as Appendix 11.
Our people have seen great changes in our rivers over the years. Our tūpuna were sustained by the rivers, they provided many resources, especially food. They were also key transport routes. The changes to these rivers have degraded their mauri and wairua, and we now find that they cannot sustain us. Many of our kai species have disappeared, and the physical appearance of the rivers has changed beyond recognition.
OBJECTIVE
To
  • restore the physical and spiritual health of the rivers
  • re-establish the relationship between the people and the rivers
  • educate others in the community about the importance of the rivers in our rohe including their history, the meaning of their names and our relationship with them
NGĀ TAKE - ISSUES
1. The degradation of rivers in the Ngāti Mutunga rohe, and the resulting loss of the relationship between Ngāti Mutunga and the rivers
2. Lack of understanding within the community of the cultural significance of the rivers, and the importance of restoring their physical and spiritual health
NGĀ KAUPAPA - POLICIES
01
Encourage recognition of the cultural importance of the rivers to Ngāti Mutunga and advocate for comanagement of rivers in our rohe.
02
Require Council's to engage with Ngāti Mutunga on all planning and policy processes or applications for resource consent relating to or affecting freshwater within our rohe
03
Encourage councils to give the views of Ngāti Mutunga on issues relating to river management significant weight due to our deep and longstanding association with the rivers
04
To prioritise the restoration of rivers in the Ngāti Mutunga rohe
05
Promote educational programmes which explain the relationship between Ngāti Mutunga and the rivers and encourage restoration of the rivers
06
Encourage the everyday use of the full name of the Mimitangiatua River as well as on all new signage or maps in the area
7. Require that all Septic Tanks and Sewage Treatment systems are fit for purpose, regularly checked and maintained and systems for commercial premises have appropriate maintenance plans
8. Require the implementation of a bylaw by the NPDC that requires all on -site sewage systems be "installed, repaired, extended, operated and maintained, in a safe and sanitary manner, with no, or minimum adverse effects on the surrounding natural environment, or are a health nuisance and in a manner that is culturally sensitive".
WATER QUANTITY
Compared to other parts of New Zealand, water bodies in the Ngāti Mutunga rohe are not facing problems because of too much water being taken from them.
However, Ngāti Mutunga consider that, as there may be more applications to take water from our water bodies in future and the nature and operation of ground water systems in Taranaki are not well understood19, a precautionary approach 20 should be taken to allocating water. If water takes are not well managed, particularly the cumulative effect of taking water from several points within a catchment, there can be serious effects on water quantity and quality. This may damage the mauri and wairua of the waterways, and affect the health of the plants, animals and people reliant on the waters.
19 Taranaki Regional Council, Taranaki ,
20 For the purpose of this plan, the precautionary principle is that, if a policy or action could have a serious detrimental effect, then it is up to the person wanting to carry out the action or adopt the policy to prove that there will be no detrimental effect. If there is not enough information to prove that there will be no detrimental effect then the action should not go ahead, or the policy should not be adopted. When we advocate a precautionary approach, we mean that decision makers or people carrying our activities related to resource use should not do something unless they can prove that it will not have any serious detrimental effect on our cultural values or the environment.
"There used to be heaps of little springs and streams along the river bank. That's where we used to make our kaanga pirau" – Hurimoana
OBJECTIVE
To ensure that water bodies within the Ngāti Mutunga rohe to continue to sustain our communities.
NGĀ TAKE – ISSUES
1
Lack of ability to exercise our responsibilities as kaitiaki, due to our limited ability to participate in the management of water quantity
2
Limited extent of existing knowledge about water resources and effect on water management from current decision making
3
Cumulative effects of water abstractions on surface and groundwater quantity and quality, including less water in springs
4
Poor control and monitoring of use and effects of taking water, including groundwater
5
Perception of water as a commodity, which can be bought and sold through resource consents for water take
6
Lack of access
NGĀ KAUPAPA - POLICIES
01
Require consultation with Ngāti Mutunga on all applications to take water within the Ngāti Mutunga rohe
02
Require that consent applications to take water include scientifically sound, understandable, and culturally relevant information so that Ngāti Mutunga can assess the impacts of applications
03
Require that decision makers adopt a precautionary principle when considering applications for resource consent to take water
04
Require that consent applications to take water or water abstraction take into account:
  • a. Extent of knowledge of the water resource
  • b. Ability to monitor the effect of any water take
  • c. What might happen in the future (e.g. changes in rainfall or land use, climate change)
  • d. Mechanisms to monitor the effects of water being taken including the use of Cultural Health Indicies that reflect Ngāti Mutunga values
05
Encourage the restoration of natural water levels and flows in all water bodies
06
Encourage water users to use water wisely, for example by adopting the most efficient irrigations methods available
07
Encourage alternative methods of harvesting water, such as collecting rainwater