Te Pātaka o Rongokako

Since our 2024 AGM, we have undertaken a careful process to develop a new name for our Settlement Trust. This mahi was led by our Chair, Paora Ammunson, and Trustees Huria Robens and Jono Harrison, and supported by all our trustees.

We are pleased to share that Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua Settlement Trust will adopt the following as our new trading name: Te Pātaka o Rongokako.

This name honours our whakapapa, our shared histories, and reflects our collective, prosperous future.

Rongokako is our tipuna, uniting and inspiring our iwi, and reminding us of our shared connections.

Te Pātaka represents the Settlement Trust’s fundamental role as a pātaka for our hapū and whānau. The Trust must carefully manage our shared resources to support and enable ngā uri o Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki-nui-a Rua to thrive.

BACKGROUND

RONGOKAKO – THE GRANDFATHER OF KAHUNGUNU

Rongokako was the son of Tamatea Arikinui – the captain of our waka, Tākitimu.

Three tohunga were on the Tākitimu waka, including Tūpai, who eventually settled in Wairarapa and established a whare wānanga.

Rongokako was also the son of a wahine named Tato. Her whakapapa connected her to the tangata whenua of Northland and through her grandfather, Toi, she was a cousin to Whātonga, navigator of the Kurahaupō waka.

As a child, Rongokako lived in Northland around Te Hapua and Kaitaia. He was sent to Wairarapa to be educated at the whare wānanga established by Tūpai. After earning his initiation as a tohunga, Rongokako returned to Northland.

His journey north is a famous one. Rongokako had the ability to take giant leaps, and he used these to beat his cousin Pāoa in a race to reach the beautiful Muriwhenua. On his way Rongokako left footprints at a place known as Te Tapuwae-o-Rongokako, near Whāngārā.

Rongokako won the hand of Muriwhenua in marriage, and they had one son, Tamatea Ure Haea, also known as Tamatea-arikinui, the father of Kahungunu.

TE PĀTAKA – PROTECTING AND PROVIDING FOR OUR IWI

Pātaka are traditional raised storehouses used by Māori to safely store food, tools, and valuable items.

Built on stilts, pātaka were elevated to protect their contents from moisture and pests. Often featuring carved wooden panels and ornately decorated, pātaka reflected the mana of the iwi or hapū that kept them.

We recognise the cultural significance of pātaka, as a symbol of abundance and preparedness, and the importance of resource management in traditional Māori society.

Along with our new name, we have reaffirmed our collective vision, mission and values. These will continue to bring clarity and strength to our purpose.

View our Te Pātaka o Rongokako vision, mission and values [PDF]