Tahuwhakatiki Marae - Welcome Bay

The principle Ngā Pōtiki settlement up until the early 20th century was located at the foot of Mangatawa. The settlement of Karikari flourished around a successful cattle and sheep farming enterprise that produced wool, as well as maize, wheat, oats, kūmara and potatoes on a commercial scale.

It was here that a culture of innovation emerged.

In November 1875, the Bay of Plenty Times visited Karikari and reported the manufacture of an array of horse-drawn machinery including threshing machines, harrows, ploughs and gigs, as well as the construction of whale boats and “two small yachts of about five tons each” that were going to be used to export produce.

Karikari was sufficiently wealthy and could easily cater for a visit from Tāwhiao, the second Māori King, in June 1887. Tāwhiao arrived at the head of a delegation of some 300 supporters from Waikato Tainui.

“Food was served up for the visitors, which consisted of beef, pork, potatoes, and kumara, and the way in which the food was prepared was worth seeing,” reported the Bay of Plenty Times on June 22, 1887.

“The exact amount of food cooked at Kari Kari for Tawhiao and party was: 3 head of cattle, 24 pigs, and 54 kits of potatoes (say 5 tons); 10 cases of biscuits were also disposed of, besides sugar, tea, etc.”

In 1894, Ngā Pōtiki leader Wi Parera Tarakiteawa oversaw the erection of a large house at Karikari named Tamapahore. It was opened in 1896 by the third Māori King, Mahuta Tāwhiao, in the presence of Te Kooti Arikirangi, prophet and founder of the Ringatū faith. The house was 50ft by 20ft, of weatherboard construction, and featured two large stained-glass windows at each end, reflecting the wealth of the village.

In 1901, Wi Parera, Eruera Te Tauhou, Te Awanui and other Ngā Pōtiki leaders successfully petitioned the Native Land Court to partition the Mangatawa Reserve out of the No. 2 Pāpāmoa Block for the exclusive ownership of Ngā Pōtiki whānau.

Karikari fell into decline after 1900. This was accelerated by the individualisation of land title policies imposed by the Crown, and the subsequent movement of whānau to Te Whare o Tahuwhakatiki, which was closer to the Tauranga/Te Puke highway and enabled easier access to the newly established Papamoa Native School and the Papamoa Creamery at Whare (Taranaki Lane).

In 1957, the Mangatawa Reserve, comprising of multiple and small uneconomic land interests, was consolidated into the Mangatawa Incorporation, which represented a reversal of the previous colonial government policy of individualisation of land titles.

More than 60 years later, the Mangatawa Papamoa Blocks Incorporation is recognised as a leading-edge Māori-owned business in Tauranga that manages a diverse property investment and agribusiness portfolio on behalf of some 400 shareholders.

For more information visit Mangatawa Papamoa Blocks Incorporation.

Other smaller commercial enterprises owned by Ngā Pōtiki whānau located across Kairua and Waitao and are also actively engaged in commercial horticulture, supplying kiwifruit and avocados to the international market.

Ngā Pōtiki ā Tamapahore Trust builds on this legacy of innovation and works in partnership with the Mangatawa Papamoa Blocks Incorporation and other Ngā Pōtiki land trusts to create new and exciting futures for Ngā Pōtiki whānau.