Te Watarauihi Nga Henga, Died 1876
Below is an online version, from Nga Tupuna o Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Volume 4 (2007), of the biography for Te Watarauihi Nga Henga, reproduced with the kind permission of his whānau.
Published Text
"Te Watarauihi Nga Henga". In Nga tupuna o Te Whanganui-a-Tara, volume 4. (2007)
Te Watarauihi Ngahenga, often written in early records as Nga Henga, belonged to the Te Matehou hapu of Te Ati Awa. He was closely related to Ngakirikiri, also of Te Matehou. Ngakirikiri was the son of Te Kaara and the elder brother of Te Raro Te Ua, in evidence given by his niece, Maraea Te Ua, to Major Heaphy, in 1878
Nga Henga and Ngakirikiri were included in the Colonel McCleverty’s lists of original owners of 1847, for both section Hutt 19, Waiwhetu, and Hutt Section 57, Taita. In the Araheke M Reserve list of possible beneficial owners, Wataruihi was listed as Te Ngakengarahui.
Nga Henga’s successors for Taita Hutt Section 57 were Pero Te One and Paratene Tipene and Hemi Parata. Ngakirikiri’s successors were Hone Ngaukaka and the whanau of both Tipene Te Raro, and Maraea Te Ua.
Land Court evidence links Nga Henga to a sibling whose children were Rawina, mother of Heni Wereta, Teratiao and Parata Te Ua. Parata Te Ua was the father of Hemi Parata of Parihaka.
Maraea Te Ua, in a dispute with Karipa Tawhake over subsection 23 of Hutt Section 19, records some of the Wesley Maori Mission history in her evidence to Major Heaphy, 1878. Karipa Tawhake became the officiating Maori Minister at Waiwhetu and sought permission from Nga Henga to clear and cultivate Subsection 23 of Waiwhetu Hutt Section 19, so that he could grow food firstly for himself, and then for the congregation of the church, including the people of Petone. Te Karere O Poneke (newspaper) of January 1858, includes a substantial donation by Watarauihi Ngahenga amongst the list of donors of funds for the building of whare karakia at each kainga within Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
Tipene Te Raro says that the Waiwhetu whare karakia belonged to Watarauihi Nga Henga but was built by all the people. The whare karakia was not situated on Section 19, but may have been built on the old pa site at the mouth of the Hutt River. This whare karakia was washed away in a flood on January 1858?
Maraea and Tipene disputed Karipa’s right to subsection 23, saying that his work was finished once the floods had carried away the church. Tipene produced a letter from Nga Henga written 12 September 1862 where he states that he doesn’t want the land divided. It would appear that Nga Henga had “mana” over all this area, namely subsections 21-23, of Waiwhetu Hutt Section 19.
Nga Henga died in 1876.
References:
- Wellington MB no. 2, p. 122, 288
- Taranaki MB no. 3, p. 341
- National Archives MA AccW2218 Box 31 Misc. Court papers, John McKay 1882.
- Te Karere of Poneke, (1858) ; Vol. 1, no. 17, p. 3 ; Vol. 1, no. 19, p. 2
(MB = Minute Book)
I Te Reo Māori -
Nō te hapū nei o Te Ati Awa, nō Te Matehou a Te Watarauhi Ngahenga, arā ko Nga Henga rānei. He whanaunga tata ia ki a Ngakirikiri, o Te Matehou. Ko Ngakirikiri te tamaiti a Te Kaara, ā, ko te tuakana hoki o Te Raro Te Ua, e ai ki ngā kōrero atu a tana irāmutu a Maraea Te Ua ki a Major Heaphy i te tau 1878.
Ko Nga Henga rāua ko Ngakirikiri i tuhia ki te rārangi ingoa a Colonel McCleverty mō ngā tāngata nōna ngā whenua rā i te tau 1847, mō te pānga Hutt 19, mō Waiwhetu, me te pānga Hutt 57 i Taita. I te rārangi ingoa o te whenua rāhui o Araheke M Reserve, ka tuhia ko Te Ngakengarahui kē te ingoa o Wataruihi.
Ka riro ngā whenua o Nga Henga ki Taita Hutt Section 57 i a Pero Te One rātou ko Paratene Tipene ko Hemi Parata. Ka riro ngā whenua o Ngakirikiri i a Hone Ngaukaka me te whānau o Tipene Te Raro rāua ko Maraea Te Ua.
Ki ngā rekoata a te Kōti Whenua Māori he hononga tō Nga Henga ki te matua o Rawina, te māmā o Heni Wereta, rātou ko Teratiao ko Parata Te Ua. Ko Parata Te Ua te pāpā o Hemi Parata o Parihaka.
Nā Maraea Te Ua ētahi kōrero a te hāhi Wesley Maori Mission i whakapuaki ki a Major Heaphy i te tau 1878 hei tautoko i tana tohe ki a Karipa Tawhake mō te wāhanga whenua 23 o te pānga Hutt 19. Ka tū ko Karipa Tawhake hei minita Maori mō Waiwhetu ka rapu whakaaetanga ai i a Nga Henga hei muku hei noho hoki ki te wāhanga whneua 23 o te pānga Waiwhetu Hutt 19, hei whakatupu kai māna, ā, mā te minenga hoki o te hāhi me ngā tāngata o Pitoone. Ki te nūpepa Te Karere O Poneke i te marama o Hanuere i te tau 1858, he kōrero mō te koha nui a Watarauihi Ngahenga i te rārangi ingoa kaituku pūtea mō te hanga whare karakia ki ia kāinga o Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
E ai ki a Tipene Te Raro ko te whare karakia ki Waiwhetu nō Watarauihi Nga Henga engari nā ngā iwi katoa i hanga. Kāore i tū te whare karakia ki te pānga whenua 19, engari ka hanga kēhia ki tētahi pā tawhito ki te pūaha o te Awa Kairangi. Ka mukua atu tēnei whare karakia i te waipuke i te marama o Hanuere 1858?
Ka tohe atu a Maraea rāua ko Tipene i te whai wāhi o Karipa’s ki te wāhanga whenua 23, me te kī atu kua pau kē te wāhi ki a ia i te rironga o tana whare karakia i te waipuke. Ka whakaputaina e Tipene he reta nā Nga Henga i tuhia i te 12 o Hepetema 1862 ka kī a ia kia kaua e wāwāhia te whenua. Te āhua nei nō Nga Henga te mana o tēnei wāhi katoa, arā ngā wāhanga 21-23, o te pānga whenua Waiwhetu Hutt Section 19.
Ka mate nei a Nga Henga i te tau 1876.