For Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a- Māui, histories of Tōtaranui reinforce tribal identity and solidarity and continuity between generations, and document the events which shape us as an iwi. We view ourselves as part of the natural flora and fauna within Tōtaranui and the wonderful taonga which have been bestowed upon Tōtaranui. The relationship Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui has with these taonga is central to our identity and our cultural and spiri tual wellbeing. Mana, mauri, whakap apa and tapu a re all important elements of the spiritual relationship of Te Ātiawa o Te Waka -a-Māui with Tōtaranui. All of these values remain important to the people of Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a- Māui. One of the roles of Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui as kaitiaki is to prot ect th e mauri of the Tōtaranui. Whakapapa defines the genealogical relationshi p of Te Ātiaw a o Te Waka -a- Māui to Tōtaranui. Tapu describes the sacred nature of t he area to Te Ā tiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui. Tōtaranui is an important natural resource that Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a- Māui identifies and protects as a taonga (treasure) for current and future generations. The use of natural resources is governed and regulated through cultural lore and traditions of tapu, rāhui and noa (sanction). Tōtaranui represents the links between the cosmology and the gods and present generations. These histories and customs reinforce our tribal identity, solidarity and continuity through the gen events that have shaped the erations, and document the environment of Tōtaranui and Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a- Māui as an iwi. KAKA POINT Whatungarongaro te tangata toi tu whenua Kaka Point and the surrounding area i s pivotal to Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a- Māui and is a wāhi tapu. Kaka Point is of special significance to Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a- Māui whānau through their ancestral and spiritual links to the natural world. The mauri of Kaka Point embodies the life force that binds the spiritual world with the physical world. Kaka Point was important in the lives of Te Ātiawa o Te Waka- a-Māui tūpuna and remains central to the lives of whānau in the present. Kaka Point extends its influence onto various papakāinga at Kaiteriteri across to Riuwaka, Motueka, and Separation Point. Beneath Kaka Pā gaze, generations of whānau have lived, cultivated land, collected resources and harvested food. Kaiteriteri attractiveness was sufficient for a defended pā to be built on Kaka Point. A series of ditches were constructed across the narrow area between the Point and the rest of the mainland. On the Point itself were terraces for house sites and pits for food storage. The steep cliffs provided strong natural defences, and are protected on the inland side by a deep ditch. The area around Kaka Point is highly erodible, weathered Separation Point granite. Kaka Point has one of the several recorded pā sites on the coast between the mouth of the Riuwaka River and Otuwhero Inlet, and is the largest recorded pā in the Motueka area. The sites along the foreshore are believed to have been mainly associated with cooking and food preparation, however, other activities were also occurring in the area indicated by argillite flakes and a chisel being found there. The mauri of Kaka Pā represents the essence that binds the physical and spiritual elements of all things together, generating and upholding all life. All elements of the natural envir onment possess a life force and all forms of life are related. Mauri is a critical element of the spiritual relationship of Te Ātiawa o Te Waka- a-Māui with the area. While Kaka Point is to be returned to the Crown as a gift back to the people of New Zealand, Te Ātiawa o Te Waka -a-Māui consider that the mauri of Kaka Point remains with Te Ātiawa o Te Waka -a-Māui. Te Tau Ihu Statutory Acknowledgements Page 110 of 163