Manu In pre-European times, the birdlife associated with ngā awa was plentiful. Kererū, kākāpō, tui, korimako, weka, kaka and kiwi were found in the forests that hugged the river valleys. Pūkek o and ducks were har vested in the wetland areas. The blue duck o r whio was common on the fas ter flowing wat ers. Ngā manu were not only importan tas a source of food, but the feathers were used for cloaks and decorating garments. Mātauran ga Mātauranga associated with the collection of resources from ngā awa was central to the lives of tūpuna and remains a significant part of the cultural ide ntity of whānau today. This mātauranga is essential for maintaining customary practi ces - the tikanga and kawa associated with gathering and utilising resources. Examples include the collection of plants for medicinal purposes (rongoā), harvesting of different species according to the seasons or tohu (signs); and the collection of plants for dying and weaving kete. Mātaura nga Māori is intertwined with ngā awa and the many resources associated with their waters. The Maitai and Waimea Rivers are immersed in Māori history. There are numerous wāhi tapu associated with these abundant food baskets, linking present day manawhenua physically and emot ionally with their tūpuna. The cultural identity of Ngāti Tama ki T e Tau Ihu is intertwined with these awa. MAITAI RIVER AND ITS TRIBUTARIES The Maitai River was originally known as “ Mahitahi”, which is thought to relate to tūpuna working as on e with the pakohe to produce tools. Maitai means ‘ hard’, or ‘excellent ’ in Māori. Traditionally, the Maitai River was rich in mahinga kai, rongoā, weaving and building materials. The natural resources gathered in the catchment attracted Ngāti Tama ki Te Tau Ihu tūpuna from acro ss the rohe, including Wakapuaka. Whānau would cam p and harvest the plentiful supply of resources found in the estuary, the channels and wetlands at the mouth of the Maita i. Ngāti Tama ki Te Tau Ihu cultivation sites supporting tūpuna fishing operations were located along the banks of the Maitai River. The Maitai River and its tributaries provided tūpuna with a natural pathway or ara through the rohe. The main route to Wakapuaka and to Marlborough was via the Maitai Valley. The Wakapuaka Ara followed the Maitai upstream as far as the Waitarake (Sharlands and Packers Creeks), before joining the route over to the Lud and Teal Valleys. The Marlborough Ara followed the Waitarake, before dropping over a small hill to rejoin the Maitai. After passing a camping area at Mill Creek, the Ara ascended Maungatapu on the Dun Mountain side. WAIMEA RIVER, WAIROA RIVER, AND WAI-ITI RIVER AND THEIR TRIBUTARIE S The fertile plains of the Waimea have a long and rich Māori history reaching back to the earliest tribes known to have lived in the South Island. The name Waimea was originally “Waimeha”, which means brackish or insipid water. This name relates to the nature of the river as it passes swamp and mudflats on its way to sea. The significance of the Waimea River relates to the awa itself but also to the entire catchment from the waters flowing from the mountains (Gordon Range, Eastern slopes of the Kahukura (Richmond Ranges) and Bryant Ranges and the Dun mountain) through the flood plains to coastal waters and out to sea. The Waimea River and associated catchment features in a large number of accounts relating to the period known as the Great Migration from Hawaiki to New Zealand - the period that is thought to have spanned the 13th and 14th centuries. Rakaihautu, an early explorer from Hawaiki, made landfall at Nelson Haven. From this landing place, he set off to discover the local landscape by way of the Waimea Plains. Te Tau Ihu Statutory Acknowledgements Page 91 of 163