Hon Tama Potaka
Minister for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti

Returning the Ō-Rākau battle site to tūpuna ownership will help to recognise the past and safeguard their stories for the benefit of future generations, Minister for Māori Crown Relations Tama Potaka says.

The Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passed its third reading at Parliament today. The Bill will vest the title to the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres east of Kihikihi, in ngā tūpuna o Ō-Rākau – the ancestors of Ō-Rākau.

“This unique arrangement acknowledges those who were present during the battle or had traditional connections to the land,” Mr Potaka says. “The battle site will be managed by a body representing the descendants of ngā tūpuna, as well as their whānau, hapū and Iwi.

“I know it’s been a long journey to achieve this result and I acknowledge the work of Maniapoto, Raukawa, Waikato and all others whose mahi has contributed to the return of the whenua.

“Since 2015, the Crown and Iwi have worked closely together to return the whenua at Ō-Rākau and honour the tūpuna who had connections to that land.

Ō-Rākau was the site of the last major battle in the Crown’s 1863-64 invasion of Waikato. Between 31 March and 2 April 1864, around 300 Māori, many of them women and children, defended their pa against an attack by 1,400 British troops. An estimated half of the defenders were killed during the fighting and subsequent retreat and the land was subsequently confiscated by the Crown.

“Ō-Rākau was the site of an important conflict in our nation’s history and I was honoured to attend the 160th anniversary commemorations there last year.

“Today is the next step on a journey taken together by Crown and Iwi in recognition of our shared experiences together.”

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