Tuku Rangatira – A Chiefly Gift

In 1896, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa gifted Lake Wairarapa to the Crown as a tuku rangatira – a chiefly gift. Yet Wairarapa Māori were brought up to believe that their tīpuna had sold the lake. Kaumātua Haami Te Whaiti outlines the history behind this, and the impacts of colonisation that meant the relocation of many Wairarapa whānau to the King Country. More recently, the Treaty of Waitangi settlement has seen the return of the bed of Lake Wairarapa to Māori ownership and the establishment of a co-management board to instil Māori values in the management of the lake, its reserves and catchment.