Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a- Māui tūpuna had considerable knowledge of the whakapapa, traditional trails, places for gathering kai and other taonga. They also developed tikanga based on the relationship between the people and the resources of this area to ensure the sustainable utilisation of resources. All of these values remain important to Te Ātiawa o Te Waka- today. a-Māui There are a number of Te Ātiawa o Te Waka -a-Māui urupā and wāhi tapu along the river and associated coastline. Urupā are the resting places of Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a- Māui tūpuna and, as such, are the focus for whāna u traditions. Urup ā and wāhi tapu are places holding the memories, traditions an d victories of Te Ātiaw a o Te Waka-a-Māui tūpuna, and are frequently protected by these sites secret. keeping the location of Generations of Te Ātiawa o Te Waka- a-Māui have lived, camped and harvested resources at the Turimawiwi River mouth and on the Te Tai Tapu coast. Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui Pariwhakaoho whānau maintained extensive cultivations along the coast at Turimawiwi and Taumaro. The wāhi tapu and mahinga kai associated with the Turimawiwi River links present day Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui physically and emotionally with our tūpuna. The maintenance of th e custom s and traditions associated with this awa is therefore paramount to the wellbeing of Te Ātiawa o Te Waka- a-Māui. Te Ātiawa o Te Waka- a-Māui have continually maintained ahi kaa within this catchment area, and the whenua and wai are integral to Te Ātiawa o Te Waka- a-Māui identity as an iwi. We have tikanga and kawa that involves tapu and noa in this area. The wāhi tapu incorporate our cultural values and take tūpuna. Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui have responsibilities and obligations to this place and its cultural, spiritual, historical and traditional values as tangata whenua of the area. TITI ISLAND NATURE RESERVE Tītī Island is located off Port Lambert in the Marlborough Sounds and is of traditional, cultural, spiritual and historical significance to Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a- Māui and a great taonga for our iwi. Ngāti Hinetuhi, a hapū of Te Ātiawa o Te Waka- a-Māui who resided in Port Gore, utilised a range of the resources found on Tītī Island, although primarily the tītī (sooty shearwater/mutton bird). Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui tikanga was meticulously followed by Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui when harvesting tītī. No fires could be lit during the taking of the birds and women were prohibited on the islands. It was said that if these rules (tapu) were broken then the birds would desert the islands for years. Tītī was a customary food for Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a -Māui. Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a- Māui have memories of the harvesting process, which occurred once a year, and of how the birds were cooked and consumed or preserved for use at a later date. Tītī Island is now home to the tuatara that was transferred fourteen years ago from the Brothers Islands (Ngā Whatu Kaipono) by Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui as a gift to the Island. Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui maintain that the tuatara plays an important cultural role as it is the kaitiaki of knowledge, children, tapu places, and tapu objects. This tradition is at once ancient, modern, and reciprocal. Tuatara is kaitiaki of the tangata whe nua, while the tangata whenua a re kaitiaki of tuatara. The ongoing conservation of the species on Tītī Island is of the utmost importance to Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui to ensure the survival of the species that was once unique to Ngā Whatu Kaipono. All elements of the natural environment 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 Tītī Island, the tītī and the tuatara. The mauri of Tītī Island represents the essence that binds the physical and spiritual elements of all things together, generating and upholding all life. Te Tau Ihu Statutory Acknowledgements Page 135 of 163