Te Ātiawa o Te Wa ka-a-Māui is a seafaring iwi known for our great navigated sea voyages from Te Waka-a-Maui to Wellington, Waikanae, Taranaki and the Chatham Islands. Te Ātiawa o Te Wa ka-a-Māui o Te Waka -a-Māui view the land and water as an indivisible whole. The land is connected to the water resources which flow in, on and under it, as is the water related to the land that surrounds it, including the foreshore and seabed. Both the lands and waters are in turn connected to the people as the mana whenua, mana moana, mana tangata in this rohe. Tangaroa, god of the sea, is the tuakana (elder brother) of Tāne Mahuta (god that dwells on the land) in both birth sequence and size. The land comes from the sea and returns back to the sea, whether this is through erosion on the coast or via the wai tapu (rivers) that carry the land and then empty into the sea. The sea and the land cannot be separated, but each has its own healing powers, each has its own food, and each has its own wairua tapu. Each of the gods has his own individual kawa (protocol) that connects with hi s brothers’. land and the sea merge, at no point is Even where the there a void, the land mass moves under the seawaters where they connect until the continental shelf drops off. For Te Ātiawa o Te Waka -a-Māui this means that the land eventually gives way to the Tasman Sea, Tasman Bay, Port Gore, Tōtaranui (Queen Charlotte Sound), Tory Channel, Te Moana o Raukawakawa (Cook Strait) and Te Moananui A Kiwa (the Pacific Ocean), but it does not mean that one is given more importance than the other. As tangata whenua, Te Ātiawa o Te Wa ka-a-Māui have kaitiaki responsibilities to protect the mauri of b oth the land and ad joining seas. Te Ātiawa o Te Wa ka-a-Māui are kaiti aki of the sea, lands, waters and associated resources within our rohe, and are charged to look after them for future generations. The rivers connect the entire landscapes from the mountains to the sea. Forests, streams, lakes and oceans have their own mauri, and their wellbeing is reflected in the productivity and abundance of birds, fish and other life. The waters of the sea and rivers are as much roads and gardens as the roads and gardens on land. Te Ātiawa o Te Waka -a-Māui hapū relationships with te t akutai moana are captured in memories, ingrained in hearts and passed on in practice, stories and waiata to children and grandch ildren who will one day be the kaitiaki o f the coastal domain. Te Ātiaw a o Te Waka-a- Māui view the resources of the s ea as gifts from Tangaroa, and have developed complex management systems (tikanga) to prevent over-exploitation. Te Ātiawa o Te Waka -a-Māui are a coastal iwi and continue to move freely across Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka-a-Maui and other Te Ātiawa o Te Waka -a-Māui takiwā as sailors, captains, fishers, gatherers and whānau. Te Ātiawa o Te Waka -a-Māui successfully made the transition from oceanic to coastal navigation, and mastered the difficult art of traversing the turbulent and unpredictable coastal waters, which along with the foreshore and seabed are of particular importance for the gathering of kaimoana or food from the sea. Stretches of coastline were clearly acknowledged and recognised as belonging to, and being defended by, a particular hapū and, although there has since been wid espread urbanisation of Māori, strong cultural connections and ties with the coast remain. The coastal and marine area is an integral part of our rohe in Te Tau Ihu. Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui migrations to Te Waka -a-Maui, when and how they took place, form the basis for present Te Ātiawa o Te Waka -a-Māui membership. When territorial boundaries were determined they were often derived from the waka tāua journey. The actual waka route often formed the basis of coastal boundaries; the naming of features by the canoe passengers gives them claim to those areas; and incidents occurring along the way were interpreted as signs from the gods that certain locations were meant to be avoided or settled. The sites of waka landings are still tapu areas. Areas of particular cultural significance in the coastal and marine area include Kahurangi, Turimawiwi, Whanganui Inlet, Te One Tahua, Pūponga, Pakawau, Parapara, Te Matau, Te Tai Aorere (Tasman Bay), Motueka, Whakatū, Waimea, Tarakaipa Island, Te Tau Ihu Statutory Acknowledgements Page 138 of 163