Whatungarongaro he tangata, toitū te whenua
He taonga tuku iho mō ngā uri whakatipu, manaakitia, puritia, mō ake tonu atu
“Tū kau ana ahau i te roro wharenui o Hangarau
Me mihi noa ake ki te Paki o Matariki
Ki a Hangarau noa ōku mahara ki te tini o te tau
Kua ngaro nei ki te pō
Ka tītoki rā taku haere ki Ngamanawa
Tū ana 'hau i te mauri o Ngāti Hangarau
I Manukōtuku, kia mārama ai taku titiro ki Te Ranga
Ki Pukehinahina, ki te tini ā te kura e moe noa mai rā.
Haere rā e Pā mā mai te riri horahora, i ngaro ai koutou
I riro ai te whenua i te muru pokanoa ā te keha
Ka tiawhe rā taku haere ki Moerangi, ki Araiteuru, ki Matariki,
Ki Wharetangata, ki Te Korokoro nohoanga o ngā kuia me ngā koroua
Ka tika ai te whakatauaki nei:
Whatungarongaro he tangata, toitū te whenua”
Formation of the Incorporation
The catalyst behind the formation of Ngamanawa Incorporation was the 1968 Notice of Intention to Take Land for Electricity Works by the Tauranga Joint Generation Committee.
Te Tīmatanga
Ngamanawa Incorporation's mission is to protect, manage and develop our land-based assets. This is to contribute to the economic, cultural and social prosperity of our people.
Our organisation was established in 1971 in response to the 1968 Notice of Intention to Take Land for Electricity Works by Tauranga Joint Generation Committee. The consolidation of land titles ensured a stronger collective voice, on behalf of many owners of each block involved, to legally negotiate with the Tauranga Joint Generation Committee. Although large tracts of land were taken under the Public Works Act to form what is now known as the Kaimai Hydro Scheme, the tireless efforts of our tūpuna ensured no further land was taken than necessary.
The corpus whenua that comprises Ngamanawa Incorporation is hugely significant to our people. The areas that make up a large part of the corpus whenua were traditionally known as Ruakākā, Paengaroa and Tauwharawhara. These were the areas of the Ngāti Hangarau people. Importantly, there are other areas within the corpus whenua that have connections to other hapū of Ngāti Ranginui, especially those hapū associated with the Wairoa River. Additionally, the whenua (legal title of Whaiti Kuranui 5D2) on the western side of the Incorporation, has a strong history to hapū of Ngāti Raukawa. Consequently, Ngamanawa Incorporation is very conscious of our role as kaitiaki on behalf of various interests and whakapapa into our whenua.
Today, we own and manage almost 4,000 hectares of land adjacent to the Kaimai Mamaku Forest park. We also actively work with the Department of Conservation to co-manage the large and extremely rich biodiversity of the Opuiaki forest estate. Outside of corpus whenua, we have a commercial interests in various areas including kiwifruit, blueberry, and apple orchards.
