NGĀ WHARE ARIKI: THE ROYAL HOUSES OF TE MOANA NUI Ā HĪVA

- 15th Ō Hepetema, 2026

A Statement of Tika, Pono & Aroha to the Royal Houses of Aotearoa, Rarotonga, Tahiti, Hawai‘i, Rapanui and Te Moana Nui a Kiwa (Hīva).

Te Ruruku Ō Nukutāwhiti

E kau ki te tai ē
E kau rā, e Tāne
Wāhia atu rā te ngaru hukahuka o Marerei-āo Pikitia atu te aurerere kura o Taotao-rangi Tapatapa ruru ana te kakau o te hoe
E auheke ana, e tara tutu ana te huka o Tangaroa I te puhi whatukura,
i te puhi marei kura o taku waka
Ka titiro iho au ki te pae o uta,
ki te pae o waho
Piki tū rangi ana te kakau o te hoe
Kumea te uru o taku waka
Ki runga ki te kiri waiwai o Papa-tū-a-nuku
E takoto mai nei
Ki runga ki te uru tapu nui o Tāne
E tū mai nei
Whatiwhati rua ana te hoe a Pou-poto
Tau ake ki te hoe nā Kura
he ariki whatū manawa
Tō manawa, e Kura
ki taku manawa
Ka irihia, ka irihia ki Wai-ō-nuku
Ka irihia, ka irihia ki Wai-o-rangi
Ka whiti au ki te whei ao, ki te ao mārama
Tupu kerekere, tupu wanawana
Ka hara mai te toki
Haumi e, hui e, tāiki e!

THE MANDATE FROM WHICH I SPEAK

I have many marae, hapū, waka and tūpuna that I have tātai to, and many organisations that have been part of my work. I honour those connections, but I do not speak for or represent them in this statement. Although I am a current hapū representative for Te Uri Ō Te Aho on Te Wakaminenga Ō Ngā Hapū, I am not speaking from that mandate. I also do not speak on behalf of Te Whare Tapu Ō Ngāpuhi. I am from the Whare Tapu, but my voice is not the whole Whare. I am from Waihou Marae in Hokianga, but I am not speaking on behalf of Waihou Marae. I speak from the Tātai Arorangi and whakapapa (tātai) I was born into, from the tūpuna, bloodlines, tikanga and inherited responsibilities that I carry. Through that Tātai Arorangi, I speak for Te Whare Atua Ō IO, Te Whare Ō Kupe-Ariki and Te Whatupungapunga Whare Wānanga Ō Nukutāwhiti Number 2. This is the whakapapa I carry and the mandate from which I speak. Tūrou Hawaiki.

THE KNOWLEDGE AND RESEARCH BEHIND THIS STATEMENT

This statement comes from more than five decades of research, whakapapa, lived experience, kōrero tuku iho, Hokianga manuscripts and inherited knowledge, supported by extensive kōrero with more than 45 Ngāpuhi and Te Moana Nui a Kiwa kaumātua and knowledge holders. I have prepared three websites that share aspects of this work, while the Tātai Arorangi and whakapapa records are securely protected by PIN access. The wider research, records and manuscripts are fully referenced and digitally archived. Where appropriate, I will reference the sources and traditions behind the kōrero shared here. I could, but I am not going to reference every statement like a thesis. This statement was also independently peer-reviewed by thirteen diverse, educated and grassroots people from Te Whare Tapu and outside of Te Whare Tapu. I acknowledge all the people who supported this journey over the last 53 years. Time, support, resources. You all know who you are.

THE DYNAMICS OF WHANAUNGATANGA — OUR MEASURING DEVICE

The Dynamics of Whanaungatanga (DoW), created by Dr Pā Henare Tate of Hokianga, will be used as a measuring device for this entire Statement of Tika, Pono & Aroha. The purpose is not to weaken the truth, the strength or the integrity of what is being said, but to ensure that every word serves a higher purpose. Every sentence, paragraph and assertion must be considered against the DoW Goal of Life: in everything we do, to address, enhance, and restore the Tapu (sacredness and wellbeing) of Tāngata (people), so they have the Mana (power and confidence) to fulfil their roles and achieve their goals in life. Where our words do not serve that purpose, we must have the discipline and humility to remove them. Where they do, we keep them with confidence. In this way, the statement is not measured only by whether our words are strong or truthful, but also by whether they uphold the Tapu and Mana of the people involved and strengthen the relationships through which we fulfil our respective roles.

RECLAIMING OUR INHERENT WHARE ARIKI MANA

I am sharing today to honour and remind us: We come from Whare Atua — spiritual houses — and Whare Ariki — royal houses. We come from inherent noble houses of spiritual and royal authority, tūpuna, Tātai Arorangi (whakapapa) and Tino Rangatiratanga. It is colonisation, and at times our own disconnection, that has led us to believe that Te Kīngitanga — and Te Whare Ariki Ō Te Heuheu — are the only Whare Ariki in Aotearoa.

This is incorrect.

I have profound respect for both Te Kīngitanga and Te Whare Ariki Ō Te Heuheu, who have held huge Mana Atua and have held their Kīngitanga and Whare Ariki in place for the last eight to nine generations. That is inspirational.

E mihi ana.

E te pītau whakarei o Te Waka Ō Tainui, Tūheitia. Moe mai e Te Tāniwhaniwha o Te Awamōrehurehu Ō Waikato. He piko, he taniwha. He piko, he taniwha.

For me personally, I look up to Te Whare Ariki Ō Te Heuheu as the tuakana Whare Ariki in Aotearoa and Te Moana Nui a Kiwa. This is because their Whare Ariki is based on the traditional model, because they have held their Arikitanga for nine generations, from Arikinui Herea to Arikinui Te Rangimaheu. The late Arikinui Tā Tumu Te Heuheu and Te Whare Ariki Ō Te Heuheu treated every Whare Ariki from Tahiti, Maupiti and Rurutu, including Te Whare Ō Kupe-Ariki, with the highest respect. This is why I have profound respect for the late Arikinui Tā Tumu Te Heuheu. Humble, yet you felt his mana. Along with Hīrangi Marae, Ngāti Korohē, Te Whare Ō Karuia, Oranga Kawakawa and Ngāti Manunui at Pūkawa Marae, they looked after the Ariki who came to Te Whare Ariki Ō Te Heuheu with the utmost respect, including the late Napa, who welcomed us to Hīrangi.

Moe mai e Te Arikinui Hūmārie e Tumu. Te Tumuwhakarae, Te Tumu Herenga Waka. Te Tumurangiwhenua Ō Ngatoroirangi. Me koe hoki e Te Tohunga Ahurewa e Naparoirangi.

It is also time for another truth to be spoken. Prompted by a tikanga breach made at this year's Koroneihana.

I share this to honour the whenua beneath our feet, where our tūpuna Kupe held the Tātai Arorangi to come here to Aotearoa. Aotearoa is named by his wife, Hine-te-Aparangi. More than 45 Tohu Tū Whenua, or geographical landmarks, in Aotearoa were named by Kupe himself. He placed two mauri stones at Ngā Pūriri at Bombay and Te Rerenga Wairua. He drove his punga, or anchoring stone, Te Maungarongo, from Rarotonga off his waka Matawhaorua and placed his toki Rangatūwhenua at Te Tāwhangawhanga Ō Whairepo, declaring Aotearoa to be his home 1,126 years ago. I do not share these details of Kupe to make him more than any other Whare Ariki, no. I share this for us to understand that there are different benchmarks and points of origin. Kupe's point of difference matters in this conversation.

According to this tradition, other waka haurua could not have arrived here unless Kupe shared or revealed the Tātai Arorangi — the navigational star charts — for them to get here. Some people only know Kupe as an Aito (warrior), Tohunga Hanga Waka (a waka builder) or a Tohunga Hakatere Waka (navigator). In our traditions, he also descends from a Tino Rangatira (Ariki) lineage. His father, Whitirangimamao, was an Ariki Tahu'a on Marae Taputapuātea. Hence: Kupe-Ariki.

Te Whare Tapu is still debating how many Kupe there are. I have heard people say two or three. In this research and these traditions, we have found over ten Kupe spanning more than ten generations before Kupe Nuku, who came to Aotearoa in 900 AD. One is a wahine, tika. I share this to honour this connection between Whare Ariki of Aotearoa, Rarotonga, Rapanui, Hawai‘i and Te Moana Nui a Kiwa, as I have a personal connection with them all. There is an important distinction that must be understood clearly here in Aotearoa:

THERE IS ONE KĪNGITANGA — TE MOTU. THERE ARE MORE THAN TWO WHARE ARIKI — AOTEAROA.

Te Kīngitanga and Te Whare Ariki Ō Te Heuheu arose in the 1850s. Others would have been established well before then. Te Kīngitanga and Whare Ariki, to me, are not synonymous. It must be acknowledged, with respect, that Te Kīngitanga, established at Pūkawa in 1856 and supported by 12 rangatira from Te Motu, has its own whakapapa and constitutional tradition. One of those 12 was our Tino Rangatira Tāmati Waka Nene. I have tātai and I am a uri of Waka Nene. Today, to me, Te Kīngitanga is a Māori monarchy. Not judging that, but that is not for us. It is Waikato-Tainui's prerogative and narrative to do so, with the support of Te Whare Ariki Ō Te Heuheu and other hapū and iwi throughout the motu that support that kaupapa. Ka pai.

Te Kīngitanga and Te Whare Ariki Ō Te Heuheu are not, however, the two "only" Whare Ariki of Aotearoa, nor do they hold Mana Atua or spiritual authority over any other Whare Ariki in Aotearoa. It is not that either Whare has said that. I wanted to state the obvious, bring that whakaaro out of our minds and put it on the table for us all to see clearly. We must acknowledge that they have held their Kīngitanga and Whare Ariki in place for eight and nine generations. An amazing accomplishment.

E mihi mārika ana. Pono.

Hoi, other iwi have publicly announced they do not acknowledge the mana of Te Kīngitanga. That they have no Kings and no Queens in their whakapapa. That they stand autonomous under the mana of their tūpuna. This does not mean, whakapapa-wise, these two Whare can be the only two Whare Ariki in Aotearoa. There are Whare Ariki whakapapa lines in Aotearoa that are of Ariki status, yet their current hapū and iwi have protected them fiercely for their own reasons. Basically, kept hidden. That's their choice. My point is, their tūpuna are Ariki also. They just haven't pursued making it a living entity, but their Ariki tūpuna still exist.

NOT ONLY TWO WHARE ARIKI — MANY WHARE ARIKI LINEAGES

Aotearoa has always held many houses of authority, many whakapapa lines of Arikitanga, Kōpū Ariki, Ui Ari‘i, Ui Raatira and streams of Tino Rangatiratanga and Mana Motuhake — sovereignty flowing from Ngā Rangitūhaha to Te Paparahi. Identified or not identified. Fiercely guarded or kept safe until the right time, or they choose to remain humbly under the radar.

To name a few: Puhimoanaariki, Puhikaiariki, Puhi Taniwharau, Waimirirangi, Whakatau Pōtiki, Tamateaarikinui, Tinirau Ariki, Māui Tikitiki-a-Taranga, Tāwhaki Nui a Hāmanga, Toi Kai Rākau, Taratoa Ariki, Ruatapu Ariki, Uenuku, Ngātoroirangi, Porou-Ariki, Waitaha Ariki Kore, and many more from the last nine generations, including Te Kani a Takirau and others.

Those hapū, marae or iwi who pledge their mana to Te Kīngitanga and call Te Arikinui Kuini Ngāwai Hono ki Te Pō their Queen — that is their choice and right to do so. Likewise with Te Whare Ariki Ō Te Heuheu. In saying this, no single Whare Ariki — Royal House — holds Mana Atuatanga, Spiritual Authority, over Whare Ariki in Aotearoa. No single Whare Ariki speaks for every Royal House in Aotearoa.

Kāhore.

We must not think that we need to look or act like Te Kīngitanga or Te Whare Ariki Ō Te Heuheu to be legitimate. Other Whare Ariki have always been present through the whakapapa of true Ariki bloodlines from their tūpuna. But they are not carrying their Arikitanga as an active living entity today. It is about authentically representing the Tino Rangatira (Ariki) bloodlines humbly.

Kei a koutou te tikanga.

I did not come here to diminish or belittle the mana of Te Kīngitanga or Te Whare Ō Hoturoa or Te Whare Ariki Ō Te Heuheu. I come here to share under the Mana Atua — spiritual authority — of Te Whare Atua Ō IO, Te Whare Ō Kupe-Ariki and Te Whatupungapunga Ō Nukutāwhiti to speak this truth according to this tradition. I have come to share and strengthen the bridge of understanding between Te Whare Ō Hoturoa, Te Kīngitanga, Te Whare Ariki Ō Te Heuheu and Te Whare Ō Kupe-Ariki. In Hawaiki, we were one family. In Aotearoa, we are separate. It is important for us to know the difference.

In 2024, on the Island of Maupiti — Paeao — 10 Tino Rangatira (Ariki) from Ra‘iatea, Taha'a, Maupiti, Borabora, Rurutu, Tahiti and Aotearoa revived Te Whare Ō Kupe-Ariki on Kupe's Marae. In 2025, this was brought to life on Marae Vaeāra‘i and Marae Taputapuātea, two tapu marae here whenua in Te Moana Nui Ō Hīva. To give mana to these events, in 2026 our tūpuna Kupe was returned home to Hokianga. This was the public manifestation of Te Whare Ō Kupe-Ariki, which has always been here. This was the bringing forward of Te Whare Ō Kupe-Ariki into the public realm — a House that has always been here, alive from Te Aho Tapu of 20,000 years ago to today. (800 tūpuna, times 25 years per generation). As much as I would love to exclusively claim tūpuna Kupe for our own, for Hokianga, I can't. This includes all the moutere of Te Moana Nui a Hīva. Enuamanu, Ōtautū, Manihiki, Anaa, Maupiti, Rurutu and Ra‘iatea. It includes all the other hapū that tātai to our tūpuna also. Turi, Rongorongo. (All referenced in archives).

I share these details of Kupe not to make him more than any other tūpuna. No. I share them so that we can understand that there are different branches, different points of origin, different lines of whakapapa and different foundations of authority. Kupe’s point of difference matters in this conversation. The genealogy, whakapapa, dates, places, traditions and significant events relating to tūpuna Kupe that I have referred to throughout this statement can be referenced through our records, manuscripts, archives and research.

The older timelines and traditions I present are not offered to say that Kupe is better than any other tūpuna, or that Te Whare Ō Kupe-Ariki is senior, greater or better than any other Whare Ariki. No. They are presented so that we can all see clearly where Te Whare Ō Kupe-Ariki sits within the whakapapa, history, traditions and relationships from which we speak.

This is not a claim to be above another Whare Ariki. It is not a claim to be below another Whare Ariki. It is a clarification of our own place. We stand in our own whakapapa. We stand in our own tūpuna. We stand in our own Tātai Arorangi. We stand in our own Mana Atua and inherited responsibilities. Not above. Not below. In our own mana. Whare Ariki ki Te Whare Ariki.

THE POUNAMU DOOR WAS OPENED

Because of a tikanga breach at this year's Koroneihana, the Tatau Pounamu has been pushed open. It was not opened by us. It was opened by one of your descendants of Te Tapu Whare Ō Hoturoa.

At Koroneihana 2026, on day three, the first speaker, Mātaia Keepa, recited the ruruku of Nukutāwhiti, acknowledging our tūpuna Kupe. You do not uphold the whakapapa or mauri of Te Whare Ō Kupe-Ariki, and you do not have the right to recite our tūpuna's ruruku. This was a breach against the 800 tūpuna from IO to Te Whare Ō Kupe-Ariki, to Rāhiri.

You represent the descendants of Hoturoa, a great navigator of Kupe's generation. Be pono to your representation: recite the ruruku of your tūpuna Hoturoa, not Kupe. We do not seek to repeat the profound historical consequences of such breaches of mana.

Me tūpato tātou i wēnei rā.

You do not represent us or hold the mana of Nukutāwhiti or Kupe. How can you serve as Tohunga for Kuini Ngāwai Hono I Te Pō while committing such blatant disrespect? At this year's Koroneihana, 2026, Matua Shane Jones affectionately called Ngāwai Hono I Te Pō “our Taiawatea” — our new dawn. Kuini Ngāwai Hono I Te Pō is a descendant of Kupe. In front of Ngā Whā Pito Ō Te Ao, this was not the appropriate time to use our ruruku.

If you were offended because Eru Kapa Kingi called Te Arikinui Kuini Ngāwai Hono I Te Pō “rangatira”, what is the purpose of reciting our ruruku? For Kupe Hou to lead us to Hawaiki Hou?

Nō. Kāhore e tika ana e kara.

We do not need reminders of our responsibilities and obligations. We already know them. That is why our tūpuna is home. We returned him to Te Hokianga Nui Ō Kupe, to Te Puna o Te Ao Mārama, where the Mana Atuatanga Ō IO and Kupe thrive today. The mana of Nukutāwhiti and Kupe-Ariki still lives there, together with our whanaunga of Te Moana Nui a Kiwa from Enuamanu, Ōtautū, Manihiki, Anaa, Maupiti and Ra‘iatea. You chanted our ruruku to wear the mana of Kupe and Nukutāwhiti and cloak yourself in their korowai.

Waiho mā te whakamā e patu.

I am addressing you because in 2016 I reopened Te Whatupungapunga Whare Wānanga Ō Nukutāwhiti in Hokianga with the support of 45 Ngāpuhi kaumātua, most of whom have passed now. You opened the pounamu door, and it cannot be closed until the record is corrected. By taking the ruruku of our tūpuna, you have — intentionally or not — trampled on our mana. We know where our mana lies: in our whakapapa, our tūpuna, the whenua, and those who carry that living responsibility.

As Tohunga advisor to our Taiawatea, Kuini Ngāwai Hono I Te Pō, why take such unnecessary risks of possibly offending Te Whare Ō Kupe-Ariki?

Let humility and wisdom be your hoa haere e kara.

THE RETURN OF TŪPUNA KUPE

We are the ones who brought our tūpuna Kupe home to Aotearoa. This Kupe represents "Ngā Kupe Katoa Ō Aotearoa" who have ever lived. All the Kupe are connected through whakapapa. It was: Us. Not you. Not the Crown. Not the Kīngitanga. Not Te Papa Tongarewa. Us. Why? To navigate our Hawaiki in Te Whare Ō Kupe-Ariki. Not to lead every hapū and iwi of Aotearoa to Hawaiki Hou. No, they can determine their Hawaiki Hou for themselves.

Te Tino IO-Arikitanga.
Te Tino Rangatiratanga.
Tino IO-Tohungatanga.
This is our tradition.
These are our tikanga.

FIRST: THE TRUE ORDER OF TINO RANGATIRATANGA — SOVEREIGNTY IN THIS LAND

He Wakapūtanga o Te Rangatiratanga o Niu Tīreni, signed in 1835, remains, in our understanding, the first constitutional declaration of Tino Rangatiratanga of this country. Then came Te Tiriti o Waitangi, 1840. It is an insult to the constitutional history of the Northern Tribes when people attempt to erase He Wakapūtanga or treat it as secondary.

For us: Inherent IO authority comes first. Te Tikanga Nui Ō Te Mana Tuku Iho. In the written constitutional record, He Wakapūtanga came first. Te Tiriti came second. Te Kīngitanga came after. Said respectfully. Ngāpuhi are among the first keepers of Tino Rangatiratanga and Mana Motuhake — sovereignty — in Aotearoa. Still today.

Seventy-five percent of our hapū have refused to sign any settlement because of the legacy of He Wakapūtanga. From 1806, 1814, 1831, 1834, 1835, 1839, 1840 and 2026 — it all started in Te Taitokerau. Tino Rangatiratanga is our description of Absolute Sovereignty, which is connected to Tino IO-Arikitanga. South of Bombay, hapū at and beyond Pōkino use the words Mana Motuhake. Ka pai. Each to their own.

You cannot have Tino Rangatiratanga without Tino IO-Arikitanga. And you cannot have that without Tino IO-Tohungatanga. Te Kīngitanga was established in 1858 — twenty-three years after Te Wakaminenga and He Wakapūtanga. The order of precedence must be respected and acknowledged. Te Wakaminenga is still alive and well today. I have been the representative for Te Uri Ō Te Aho on Te Wakaminenga Ō Ngā Hapū for the last 15 years and also lead Ngā Manukura O Te Wakaminenga, who are the Spiritual Protectorate of He Wakapūtanga.

Just working with corporate entities in Te Taitokerau isn't enough. There is Te Wakaminenga, the Confederation of United Tribes of hapū rangatira, that does not have faith in Waitangi National Trust, Iwi Chairs Forum, Te Rūnanga Ō Ngāpuhi, or carefully selected people used as advisors for Te Kīngitanga in Taitokerau. Do not place Te Kīngitanga before Te Wakaminenga and He Wakapūtanga. Do not place Te Whare Ō Hoturoa before Te Whare Ō Kupe-Ariki. I do not want to be above Te Kīngitanga. I do not accept being below them. I want Te Whare Ō Kupe-Ariki to stand in its own mana, just as Te Whare Ō Hoturoa and Te Whare Ariki Ō Te Heuheu stand in theirs. We stand as equals. Whare Ariki ki Te Whare Ariki. Each has its own mana. Te Whare Ō Hoturoa, Te Whare Ariki Ō Te Heuheu and Te Whare Ō Kupe-Ariki.

SECOND: THE NATURE OF THE HOUSE WE STAND IN

Te Kīngitanga was established in 1858 at Pūkawa, influenced by the political and monarchical constructs of its time. It is a Māori monarchy. This is a distinction. We must speak plainly and be courageous in our times to speak our greatest potential into being. Te Kīngitanga may be embraced by many hapū and iwi of Aotearoa as their Kīngitanga, and that relationship deserves respect. But we must also be clear about the structure of that relationship. Te Kīngitanga is guided by Waikato-Tainui, while Te Whare Ariki Ō Pōtatau Te Wherowhero is the House that holds the throne. There is one throne, and the Kuini is the one who sits upon it. The many hapū and iwi who support Te Kīngitanga do not each occupy a seat upon that throne as equal Whare Ariki. Through their support and the commitments expressed within the Kīngitanga, they place themselves within its hierarchy and, in their own speeches and declarations of allegiance, cede or subordinate aspects of their authority to the Kuini and the Kīngitanga.

The term Te Kīngitanga is not synonymous with Whare Ariki in the ancient or traditional sense of the Pacific. A Whare Ariki is not simply a political institution. It is a Royal House born from whakapapa, Mana Atuatanga, whenua, tūpuna, Tātai Arorangi, spiritual authority and inherited responsibility. It is not merely a reflection of the British monarch. It is not merely a constitutional arrangement. It is a living Whare. Te Whare Ō Kupe-Ariki stands outside the colonial construct. We do not want to become a reflection of the British monarch. We need only to humbly remember that we are already worthy before the British arrived.

THIRD: THERE IS AN OLDER WHARE ARIKI

Te Whare Ō Kupe-Ariki does not trace its mana to 1858. It traces its mana before 900 AD. It traces its mana back 800 generations to IO in Te Moana Nui a Kiwa, recorded in Hokianga and Ra‘iatea archives. That is over twenty thousand years before Te Kīngitanga was founded. Said respectfully. Our authority does not begin with Parliament. It does not begin with the Crown. It does not begin with Te Kīngitanga 1858. It reaches back through 800 generations of whakapapa to IO. Recorded in our manuscripts, still memorized and recited orally to this day as living evidence.

We are a Whare Tino Rangatira (Ariki) — Royal House — that descends from IO, through Tātai Arorangi, the star grids of Te Moana Nui a Kiwa, through Ra‘iatea, through Maupiti, through Rarotonga, to Hokianga, to the shores of Aotearoa. We are a house of celestial navigators through: Māui. Tāwhaki. Kupe. Rātā. Tamarereti. Waitaha.

True Polynesian navigators and keepers of the original naming of this land. A Whare Atua, a Whare Tino Rangatira (Ariki), a Whare Tohunga whose whakapapa, in our understanding, was never broken, never signed away and never ceded right to this day. Something we are very proud of. If the breaches that happened at Koroneihana didn't happen, or hapū and iwi continue to misunderstand us, this is the only reason we need to speak out and put the record straight. We have hapū that will never cede our Tino IO-Arikitanga. We have hapū that will never cede our Tino Rangatiratanga. I have mentioned IO-ARIKITANGA. It means the true mana of any Whare Atua or any Whare Ariki comes from IO. Full stop. Please correct this record, whānau. This is a correction of our true Wairuatanga from IO.

When we come to Tūrangawaewae Marae or any Marae in Ngāti Tūwharetoa, we do not come as rangatira to be below a foreign crown, Te Kīngitanga or below Te Whare Ariki Ō Te Heuheu. We come as your whanaunga. We come as your whānau. We come as descendants of great Whare Tino Rangatira (Ariki) like yourselves. We represent our Whare with respect and humility. We represent tūpuna Kupe, Nukutāwhiti, Puhimoanaariki, Waimirirangi, Rāhiri and all our hapū tūpuna. This is why I believe Eru did not refer to Ngāwai Hono I Te Pō as tana Kuini or Arikinui — because he and his hapū hold the mana of the Kuini of Ngāpuhi, Waimirirangi Haere ki te Rā, number 2. Hokianga–Waihou Marae are the descendants of Waimirirangi Tamatea, number 1. So do not be offended when he did not call Ngāwai Hono I Te Pō his Arikinui Kuini — because he would have been insulting his own Arikitanga tūpuna — Waimirirangi Te Kuini Ō Ngāpuhi.

We do not come to Tūrangawaewae Marae or any Tūwharetoa Marae as rangatira, as suggested by Herea Winitana Pūkōrero for Te Whare Ariki Ō Te Heuheu. Kupe is a great-grandnephew of Ātoroira‘i number 1, who is the teina to Ōtautū Tamatoa Arii Te Rangitūātinitini. These are Kupe's bloodlines. We are blood whanaunga to Te Whare Ariki Ō Hoturoa and Te Whare Ariki Ō Te Heuheu. We come as the bearers of Tapu Whare Tino Rangatira (Ariki) — Royal Houses. Officially announced or not. These bloodlines flow through us. It doesn't need an announcement to be active or alive. Because the whakapapa doesn't lie. And the whakapapa lives in us.

From now on, refer to us as:

Te Whare Ō Kupe-Ariki

Knowing that it implies Atuatanga and Arikitanga. Or we use the words Tino Rangatira, which is equal to Ariki for us, which is in-house kōrero. We come under the mana of Te Whare Ō Kupe-Ariki. We come under the mana of Nukutāwhiti. We come under the mana of Waimirirangi. We come under the mana of Te Whare Ō Puhimoanaariki. We come under the mana of Te Whare Ō Rāhiri, all of which accumulates under the mana of Te Whare Ō Kupe-Ariki. These are some of our Whare Tino Rangatira (Ariki). Know who we are and treat us with respect. Understand our tikanga before judging us.

It is well-known tikanga that every hapū and every marae in Te Whare Ō Kupe-Ariki and in Te Hokianga Nui a Kupe have their own Tino Rangatira (Ariki), their own Tohunga and their own Rangatira. We have been raised to never believe we are below Te Kīngitanga or any other Whare Ariki but our own. These are not empty titles. They are living authorities. And they demand a protocol that reflects their age, their origin and their unbroken connection to:

IO Tahi — Ngāpuhi.
IO Pūtahi — Pouerua.
IO Rangi — Hokianga.

TO THE KĪNGITANGA

We brought the bones of tūpuna Kupe home to Aotearoa this year. A land his wife named. The awa of Hokianga where his son Tuputupuwhenua is buried. Where Nukutāwhiti is buried. Your representative recited his ruruku. Your representative used it. That's not pono. Even if he has Ngāpuhi whakapapa, it does not mean he can insult us by using the ruruku of Nukutāwhiti and Kupe-Ariki. That mana belongs to Ngā Uri Katoa o Kupe-Ariki. It's in our bones. It's sealed by the bones of our tūpuna Kupe. We do not want the Crown construct. We do not want to exist inside their system.

There is room for legitimate Whare Ariki bloodlines in Aotearoa. What we cannot allow — kāhore, absolutely not — is for any one Kīngitanga or Whare Ariki, however modern, however wealthy, however influential or celebrated, to believe that it alone holds Mana Atua — Spiritual Authority or Supremacy — over all Whare Ariki in Aotearoa. We will never condone that. It is time to end this misunderstanding between the Tai Tokerau and the Kīngitanga. We will not surrender our mana to any Kīngitanga or any other Whare Ariki. We are our own Whare Tino Rangatira (Ariki) and our own Te Wakaminenga Ō Ngā Hapū, The Confederation of the United Tribes.

TO THE NATIONS AND PEOPLES OF AOTEAROA, RAROTONGA, TAHITI, HAWAI‘I, RAPANUI AND TE MOANA NUI A KIWA (HĪVA)

Aotearoa is whenua that was named, navigated, claimed and held under authorities far older than 1806, 1814, 1835, 1840, or 1869. The parliaments we elect, the courts we appeal to, the treaties we debate — these are temporary arrangements. They are not the foundation.

The foundation is IO.

For us: The foundation is Te Whare Atua Ō IO Tikitikiōrangi. The foundation is Te Whare Ō Kupe-Ariki. The foundation is Nukutāwhiti. The foundation is Waimirirangi. The foundation is Te Whare Ō Puhimoanaariki, affectionately called Te Whare Ō Puhi. The foundation is the 800 tūpuna names from IO to Rāhiri. The foundation is your own hapū Whare Atua and Whare Ariki. Te Whare Ō Kupe-Ariki will never be below any Kīngitanga or another Whare Ariki.

Take your Mana Atua back. Rebuild your Whare Atua. Rebuild your Whare Ariki. Respectfully, we need to stop giving our mana away to Te Whare Ō Pōtatau Te Wherowhero and Te Whare Ariki Ō Te Heuheu — because in doing so, we risk trampling on the Mana Atua and authority of our own Whare Atua and Whare Ariki.

FROM THIS DAY FORWARD

From this day forward, let it be known far and wide. From Aotearoa to Rarotonga, to Hawai‘i, to Rapanui, to Te Moana Nui a Kiwa, to Ngā Rangitūhāhā and back again.

He Whare Ariki Ō Kupe — Te Whare Ō Kupe-Ariki. I anga mai i Tikitikiōrangi.

Let the record stand.
Let the whakapapa stand.
Let the whenua stand.
Let the tūpuna stand.
Let the Whare Ariki
stand in its own mana.

Tūturu Ōhiti, whakamaua kia tina! Tīna! Haumi e! Hui e! Tāiki e!

TE WHARE Ō KUPE-ARIKI
THE ROYAL HOUSE OF KUPE

If you are a descendant of Kupe,
Te Whare Ō Kupe-Ariki is yours.
The door is open. Nau mai.

STATEMENT OF TIKANGA AND TURE

This statement is written and spoken in accordance with our tikanga, ture, whakapapa and inherited traditions, under the Mana Atua of IO. I speak from the jurisdiction of our own Whare Atua, Whare Tino Rangatira (Ariki), tūpuna, whenua and Tātai Arorangi. This is our tikanga. This is our ture. This is the authority from which I speak. Written in Tahiti Nui, Faaa.

Website: http://www.pacificinherentrelations-international.org

Website: https://www.kopu-ariki.site

Website: https://www.kupenukuioariki.org