The Ngäruawähia Türangawaewae Regatta: Today's Reflections on the Past
THE NGÄRUAWÄHIA TÜRANGAWAEWAE REGATTA: TODAY’S REFLECTIONS ON THE PAST TANGIWAI REWI University of Otago Ko Taupiri, ko Onepoto, ko Te Puke o Tahinga ngä maunga, ko Waikato te awa, ko Tainui te waka, ko Waikato te iwi, ko Pötatau te tangata. Ko Ngäti Amaru, ko Ngäti Tipa, ko Ngäti Tahinga ngä hapü, ko Te Awamarahi, ko Te Kotahitanga, ko Oraeroa, ko Weraroa ngä marae. Nö Te Puaha o Waikato ahau. My whakapapa ‘genealogy’ ties to the Taupiri, Onepoto and Te Puke o Tahinga mountains, the Waikato River, the Tainui Canoe, the Waikato Tribe and the esteemed Chief Pötatau. I belong to the subtribes of Ngäti Amaru, Ngäti Tipa and Ngäti Tahinga and my marae ‘Mäori communal complexes’ are Te Awamarahi, Te Kotahitanga, Oraeroa and Weraroa. The township of Ngäruawähia lies at the confluence of the Waikato and Waipa Rivers and is home to the Ngäruawähia Türangawaewae Regatta. First held in 1896, this is one of the country’s oldest regattas, second only to the Auckland Regatta of the 1870s. Although initially a social event centred on water sports, it has come to be closely associated with the Mäori King Movement or Kïngitanga. This political movement, dating from 1858, was initially aimed at giving Mäori tribes leverage in their dealings with the British Monarchy: today it is more broadly associated with Maori aspirations for social, political, cultural and economic self-determination, including the Regatta described herein. Here I trace the history of the Ngäruawähia Türangawaewae Regatta, from its inception to the present day, focussing on how it has promoted kotahitanga ‘embracing togetherness’ within Ngäruawähia and the Waikato Region and more generally across Aotearoa/New Zealand.
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