Kaiwhaiki

Looking down upon the Whanganui River, a paddle steamer ferry, and the town of Kaiwhaiki, c. 1910. Photograph taken by William Archer Price.

Kaiwhaiki is a settlement 18 kilometres (11 mi) upriver from Whanganui, New Zealand.

Kaiwhaiki in the 1840s was a small pā of a two to three dozen people.[1] In Ronaldson's 1847 survey, the inhabitants were noted as being of the hapū Ngāti Rongomaitawhiri.[2][1] In 1852 Kaiwhaiki became the first settlement on the Whanganui River to host a Catholic mission.[3] By the early 1860s, it was described as a "large pa" and its population were mostly Kingites, opposed to the colonial government.[1]

Kaiwhaiki is the home of the Ngā Paerangi hapū of the iwi Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi;[3] their unique twin-gabled wharenui Te Kiritahi was built in 1912.[4][5] It was the birthplace of composer and choirmaster Morvin Simon, who led the nationally known Kaiwhaiki-based kapa haka group Te Matapihi.

A quarry near Kaiwhaiki supplied the shellrock used to build the Durie Hill war memorial tower in Whanganui.[3]

Marae

Kaiwhaiki currently has three marae:

  • Kaiwhaiki Marae and Te Kiritahi or Rongotepoi meeting house are affiliated with Ngā Paerangi
  • Rākato Marae and Rākato meeting house are affiliated with Ngāti Hine o Te Rā
  • Whangaehu Marae and its Rangitahuahua meeting house are affiliated with Ngāti Apa[6][7]

In October 2020, the Government committed $377,123 from the Provincial Growth Fund to restore and renovate the Whangaehu Marae, creating 24 jobs.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c Walton, A. (1994). "Settlement Patterns in the Whanganui River Valley, 1839–1864" (PDF). New Zealand Journal of Archaeology. 16: 123–168.
  2. ^ Ronaldson, W. (1847) "List of Pas with their Chiefs etc on the River Wanganui." Letterbook, Whanganui Regional Museum.
  3. ^ a b c Beaglehole, Diana (20 March 2014). "Whanganui places: River Settlements". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  4. ^ "Kaiwhaiki Pā". Māori Maps. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  5. ^ "History of Kaiwhaiki Marae published". Radio New Zealand News. 11 December 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
  6. ^ "Te Kāhui Māngai directory". tkm.govt.nz. Te Puni Kōkiri.
  7. ^ "Māori Maps". maorimaps.com. Te Potiki National Trust.
  8. ^ "Marae Announcements" (Excel). growregions.govt.nz. Provincial Growth Fund. 9 October 2020.

39°50′S 175°05′E / 39.833°S 175.083°E / -39.833; 175.083


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