This report has been written with two aims. First, to inform those who are not familiar with Hauraki about the Maori who have lived in this region and continue to occupy the traditional tribal rohe. Secondly, to briefly profile the main iwi who are mentioned in the course of the historical research which is contained in the other volumes comprising the Hauraki Treaty Claims. This is a Maori cultural history based on our tribal lore as handed down to us through the centuries and retold for the benefit of the Waitangi Tribunal and others.
The traditional Hauraki region is depicted in Map 1. It shows the relationship of Tikapa Moana to the surrounding whenua. A tribal map also accompanies the report which shows the pattern and location of the Hauraki Iwi at about 1840.
In 1989 the Hauraki Maori Trust Board was established under its own Act of Parliament. A copy of this Act is attached as Appendix 1. It identifies 12 classes of beneficiaries. These iwi are profiled in this report.
The formation of the Hauraki Maori Trust Board followed a lengthy process of hui and debate for several years prior to 1989. It was born out of the desire for a collective body to represent tangata whenua and as such its establishment had a widespread mandate from all tangata whenua throughout Hauraki.
The 1996 Census of Population, Iwi Affiliation, places the population of Hauraki Maori at 7,000. These details are attached as Appendix 2.
Other iwi are also profiled because they are historically important but may, over a period of time, have become absorbed by some of the more dominant sections or they still lurk in the background roles of Hauraki affairs. They nevertheless contribute to a greater understanding of the Hauraki claims.
