KOE KOE Ā
Whakatū & Wakatū — some meanings
Māori place names are steeped in tradition and are at the heart of the Māori land tenure system. However, due to the effects of colonisation, there has been a loss of cultural knowledge around the meanings of some place names.
In the case of Whakatū and
ocean-going waka that was
Hikutawatawa/Tūāhuriri, and his
Wakatū, the Māori name for
used in the thirteenth-century
visits to a Ngāi Tara pā at Waimea
Nelson, there are various
migrations from Hawaiki.
(near present-day Appleby
interpretations, as well as the two different spellings.
Tradition has it that in sailing
School). This complex tale about
to Aotearoa, the navigator Pōtoru
origins, identity, hospitality and
decided to take Te Rīrino in a
the dangers of breaching tapu,
explained by dialect – differences
different direction to the other
ends with some of the residents
in pronunciation/spelling –
waka, heading te rā tō (towards
of the pā becoming ill and dying.
depending on iwi and region.
the setting sun). Despite the
Some attribute the deaths to
Iwi affiliated with Tainui use ‘wh’
sailing skills of Pōtoru, Te Rīrino
leprosy, known, among other
(Whakatū). Iwi from Taranaki
was caught in a fierce storm
names, as whakatūwhenua.
such as Ngāti Tama and Te
and was tossed up on Te Taero
Ātiawa pronounce it with a soft
a Kereopa or Te Tahuna a Tama-
Whakatū and Wakatū reflects the
‘h’ sound (Wakatū).
i-ea (also known as the Boulder
traditions, history and culture of
Bank).
the tāngata whenua, the people
Whakatū/Wakatū can be
Whakatū has multiple meanings
of the land. While in the region,
including:
Wakatū – a waka that has been
you may hear more kōrero about
• to make stand, erect, put up,
stood up.
the origins of the name. Take
Another tradition says that to
the time to listen, learn and
mark the final resting place of
understand.
construct, raise, establish • election, establishment
a chief, Te Māia, his waka was Waka can mean canoe, and the
stood up on Te Taero a Kereopa
This article is based on research
crew of the canoe
or Te Tahuna a Tama-i-ea.
undertaken by Hilary and John
Tū can mean:
Whakatū – a place to build.
their book series Te Tau Ihu o
• to stand, take place, set in
Whakatū to kāinga ki te
Te Waka: A History of Maori of
kōhanga o te mātangi āwhio
Nelson and Marlborough.
Mitchell. For more details, read
place, establish, hold, convene • to be erect, raised
‘Build your homes near the nest
• to be rough, high (of the sea)
of the seabirds’. This traditional advice about the best place to
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Some of the rich stories that are
settle was said to be given to
associated with Whakatū and
newcomers to the region by
Wakatū include:
existing residents.
Wakatū – a waka that has been
Whakatūwhenua – an illness.
tossed up.
There are stories relating
Te Rīrino was one of the great
to a Ngāi Tahu tupuna, Te
