Tāmaki Makaurau is home to natural beauty, bad traffic and a diverse population, few of whom know the huge significance of September 18 and the role of Ngāti Whātua o Ōrākei in the creation of their city.
The year 1840 is associated with the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, the controversial document that became the foundation for this country, now home to more than 5 million people. Yet few realise that 1840 was also the year that my ancestor Apihai Te Kawau, guided by his advisors and tohunga, made a decision that would forever change the way of life for my Ngāti Whātua o Ōrākei people, and that would become the basis for the city of Auckland.
Early that year, a small envoy of Ngāti Whātua chiefs made their way to the Bay of Islands with instructions from their leader Apihai Te Kawau to invite Governor-Lieutenant Hobson and his government to Tāmaki.
The allocation of a 3000-acre wedge of land by Te Kawau was quickly appreciated by Hobson for its proximity to deep harbours and rich fertile lands. The land – which ran from the summit of Maungawhau to Taurarua (Parnell), across to Ōpou (Cox’s Creek) and back to Maungawhau – was known as a Tuku Whenuawa and was not meant as a gift or sale of land, but an enduring bond between Ngāti Whātua and the Crown, an obligation and responsibility to support and embrace each other as partners and friends.
On September 18, 182 years ago, a group of government officials, tāngata whenua, and Pākehā gathered at Te Rerenga Oraiti Point (Britomart) to offer cheers, a canon salute, and the flying of the British flag. Ngāti Whātua waka raced along the Waitematā beside European ships to further mark the occasion.
So it’s our birthday, but most of us don’t know it. Auckland’s official anniversary in January marks the day Governor Hobson dropped anchor in Kororareka-Russell and is closely tied with British sovereignty. Few have any concept of the founding of Auckland, and if they do they link it to early Pākehā land speculators such as Logan Campbell. But the origins of Tāmaki Makaurau really come from the agreement between Ngāti Whātua o Ōrākei and the Crown.
It was the beginning of a vibrant and flourishing city. And as I walk its summits and survey its harbours with my boy, Tuperiri, I also lament the immense cost paid by my people for that decision. I often wonder what my tūpuna would think if they could walk with me and see the ravenous city that flourished from the seed planted on that day.
Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland is home today to more than 1.5 million people, and is the economic heart of Aotearoa. It it a proud, diverse, multicultural city, and more and more of its inhabitants now understand and acknowledge the immense sacrifice my Ngāti Whātua people made to allow it to flourish. Many of those who live on and around these fertile lands and harbours have prospered. Today we also have – again – a winning Blues rugby team to be proud of.
We who call this place home, deserve a celebration that acknowledges the importance of September 18, 1840. For had the interactions on this day of that year not occurred, the situation here where this city now lies, this immense whenua and harbours, would be unimaginably different.
So let us all come together on this day when Auckland truly came to be. Let us acknowledge this authentic connection to our past. It is a day that allows us to recognise some of our shared ancestors, Pākehā and Māori, who came together 182 years ago to lay the foundation that allowed this city to grow.
Let it be a day guided by respect and appreciation for the immense opportunities this decision allowed for so many.
On Sunday September 18, Ngāti Whātua, Crown and Council Representatives will be remembering and celebrating this unique piece of history. We ask that those of you who live here or come from here or have loved ones here to join us and take a moment to reconnect to the day could be considered the real birthday of Tāmaki Makaurau.
Hei konā mai i roto i ngā mihi.
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