History - Te Kūiti Pā

Te whare tūpuna

Te Tokanganui ā Noho

Ko Tainui te waka
Ko Hoturoa te tangata
Ko TeRohe Pōtae te whenua
Ko Manga-o-Kewa te awa
Ko Rangitoto ki Tūhua ngā paemaunga
Ko Ngāti Maniapoto te iwi
Ko Ngāti Rora te hapū
Ko Te Kūiti te Pā
Ko Te Ranga-ā-haurua te Whare Ariki
Ko Te Tokanganui-a-noho te Whare Tūpuna
Ko NauMai Tuarua te Wharekai

Te Tokanganui-a-Noho wharenui (meeting house) is located on State Highway 3 in the center of Te Kūiti. It was built in 1872 under the direction of the Māori leader and prophet Te Kooti, who lived in Te Rohe Pōtae (the King Country) between 1872 and 1893. He gifted the house to Ngāti Maniapoto as a gesture of thanks for their hospitality not long before receiving a government pardon in 1883. The house has been relocated three times, the last time to make way for the railway line.

Te Kooti and his followers were associated with over 40 meeting houses and he is credited with fostering their architectural development. Because of this, Te Tokanganui-a-Noho is of national historic and cultural significance, as well as being a focal point for Ngāti Maniapoto.

“Te Tokanganui-a-Noho is a storehouse of knowledge and insight to the most important aspects of a Māori world view. The layout of the whare rūnunga and the ornately carved pou tell a story of the intimate links between the many tribes of Aotearoa and Maniapoto me ōna hāpu maha.” – Hon. Nanaia Mahuta