Cultural values & interests reports (CIA)
“Ko Aotea te moutere rongonui
Ko Hirakimatā te maunga tapu
Ko te moana nui a Toi te moana
Ko te Tuatara, te Mauri, rātou ko te Tukaiaia ngā kaitiaki
Ko Aotea te kāinga o ngā uri o Ngāti Rehua
Anei te whenua e manaakitia tātou. E whakapiritia tātou. E whakaoratia tātou.
Te waahi o ngā taonga maha, ngā taonga tapu, ngā taonga matahīapo.
Na ngā whetū e kanapu ki te rangi ki ngā aitenga a punga e kōhimuhimu ana ki ngā ngahere.
Ko Aotea te taonga motuhake o te moana nui a Toi.
Ko Aotea toku tūrangawaewae”
To matou kainga
Ngāti Rehua holds the rightful authority and ancestral connection to the islands of Aotea, Hauturu, and the Mokohinau Islands. As the rightful owners, they possess exclusive ownership and rights over the land, smaller islands, and significant rock formations within their claim. The wider ancestral domain of Ngāti Rehua encompasses the outer gulf islands, highlighting their deep-rooted ancestral ties to these islands.
They assert their traditional ownership rights, interests, and obligations, including mana whenua, mana moana, rangatiratanga (primary authority), and kaitiakitanga over Aotea and the Mokohinau Islands. These rights are shared with others in Hauturu, signifying a collective responsibility for the protection and preservation of these natural and cultural resources.
It is important to recognise that Ngāti Rehua’s mana and connection to these lands and seas have existed both before and after the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 1840, affirming the enduring nature of their ancestral authority.