About Ngai Tai
The whakapapa and stories that connect Ngai Tai to Tōrere.
The History of Ngai Tai
Manaakiao, a direct descendant of Toi-te-huatahi (Toi-kairākau), married Tōrerenuiarua, the firstborn child of Hoturoa, a Tohunga of the Tainui waka, and his principal wife, Whakaotirangi, who herself held ariki status.
Tōrerenuiarua carried the name of her aunt, Hine Tōrere, the sister of Hoturoa, who passed away in Hawaiki before the migration of Tainui. Her name also preserves the memory of the burial place of Hine Tōrere on the island of Niihau in Hawaiki, carrying that connection forward through whakapapa and across generations.
Ko Tainui te Waka
He iti taku iti, taku puku i ahua, ko Rangiahua
Ko Rangiahua te Maunga, kei uta ko Kapuarangi
Ko Wainui Te Awa te wai tapu e rere ana ki Te Moananui a Toi
The Great Sea of Toi
Te whakapapa o Ngai Tai
Two lines of descent from Tama-Ki-Te-Hau, rejoined in the union of Manaakiao and Tōrerenuiarua, from whom Ngai Tai descends.
Long before reaching Aotearoa, Tōrerenuiarua had foreseen the land she would one day settle. This prophetic insight guided her request to her father, Hoturoa, to land in the area now known as Tōrere. Her decision was deeply connected to her recognition of the ties between her people and the descendants of Te Tini o Toi, particularly Manaakiao, who was mana whenua in the area. This meeting of genealogies and acknowledgment of local authority was crucial in establishing their presence in the region.
In recognition of Tōrerenuiarua vision and her significance, Hoturoa presented her with a sacred piece of the kei (stern of boat) of the Tainui waka. This taonga remains a powerful symbol of connection and heritage, depicted in the amo (carved posts) of the wharenui (meeting house) of her residing uri whakaheke (descendants).
The gift also carries the enduring whakatauāki (proverb) of Hoturoa.
“Hei taurahere ki te waka, hei pouhere ki te whenua”
“A binding cord to the canoe, a tethering post to the land”
This proverb encapsulates the enduring ties between the Tainui waka and the whenua (land), serving as a guiding principle for the people of Tōrere and their whakapapa. The story of Tōrerenuiarua is thus not only a tale of ancestral foresight but also a testament to the enduring connections between land, lineage, and identity.
A legacy of survival and sustenance was also embedded in the gift from Whakaotirangi to her daughter, Tōrerenuiarua. Whakaotirangi entrusted her with a kete (basket) rokiroki filled with purapura kumara (kumara seedlings) and taro, ensuring that her descendants, her uri whakaheke, would have the means to sustain themselves for generations.
This significant story weaves together lineage, foresight, and connection to the land. Her vision and foresight were instrumental in shaping the future of her people and underscores the deep connection between whakapapa, the land, and the resources it offers.
“Ka whangaia a Manaakiao ia Tōrere, i te kai o te Rangatira, ka whāngai o runga, ka whāngai o raro ka puta ko Tainui, nā Tainui ko Tairoa, nā Tairoa ko Tai-manawapohatu, nā Tai-Manawapohatu ko Tai! Ko Ngai Tai e tau nei!”
Manaakiao fed Tōrerenuiarua according to her chiefly status, and together they became the progenators of the Ngai Tai people beginning with their son Tainui; Tainui beget Tairoa; Tairoa beget Tai Manawapohatu; Tai-Manawapohatu beget Tai. From Tai descends the people of Ngai Tai.