Porirua City has a commitment to strengthen our partnership with Ngāti Toa Rangatira and all taurahere Māori who have made Porirua their home.
Maungaroa 2050｜Iwi Partnership｜Our places, our stories｜Local experiences
EVENT SPOTLIGHT
Maungaroa 2050 Māori Strategy
The Maungaroa 2050 Māori Strategy is a roadmap for Porirua City to support, elevate and enable the future aspirations of Māori.
The name – Maungaroa 2050 – was gifted by Ngāti Toa Rangatira kaumātua Dr Te Taku Parai. The title references the anchor stone used by the famed Tangata Moana navigator Kupe onboard the double-hulled waka Matawhaorua.
Download the Maungaroa 2050 Māori Strategy
Herea te ora ki te taiao, herea te tangata ki te whenua.
We thrive when our environment thrives, we are connected when we are one with the land.
Tākai Here | Iwi Partnership
Partnerships demonstrate respect, equity and mana motuhake.
Te whakaaetanga tākai here | Partnership agreement with Ngāti Toa
Mana whenua plays a key role in the decisions we make in Porirua City.
We engage with Ngāti Toa through their iwi authority, Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira. The Council and Te Rūnanga have signed a strategic partnership agreement. Find out more
“This agreement shines a light on all aspects of work in terms of the partnership between Ngāti Toa and the Porirua City Council. For us it’s an enduring partnership and one we believe should be renewed.”
Ngāti Toa kaumātua Taku Parai
Ngāti Toa kaumātua Taku Parai (right) signs the Partnership Agreement with Council Chief Executive Wendy Walker, 2017.
Taurahere Māori | Māori in our community
Porirua is also home to many taurahere Māori – Māori from other iwi who live in Porirua. Some have lived here for many generations, raising families, and contributing to the vibrancy of Porirua under the manaakitanga and hospitality of Ngāti Toa Rangatira.
Three marae have been established in the last 30 years in Porirua, reflecting our taurahere communities:
- Maraeroa Marae (Ngā Hau e Whā)
- Horouta ki Pōneke Marae (uri of Horouta waka)
- Tūhono (Katorika faith)
(noun) binding ropes, urban kinship group, domestic migrants, kinship link – a term sometimes used for tribal members in the city who join taura here groups to help to retain their identity and links back to their tribal homelands. These link back to iwi organisations and often taura here representatives have a place on iwi boards. For example, Te Runanga nui o Ngāti Kahungunu ki te Upoko o Te Ika is the Wellington taura here group for Ngāti Kahungunu. There are two taura here groups in Auckland for Ngā Puhi – Te Taura Here ki Manurewa (South Auckland) and Te Taura Here o Ngāpuhi ki Waitākere (North and West Auckland).
These marae are places of gathering for Māori living and working in Porirua, established to support Māori migration to Porirua over the past 40–50 years.
O whaitua, o pūrākau | Our places, our stories
We thrive when our environment thrives, we are connected when we are one with the land.
Te Awarua-o-Porirua | Porirua Harbour
Our harbour is our greatest environmental taonga and we are working hard to protect it. Te Awarua-o-Porirua is the centrepiece of our community culturally, recreationally and environmentally.
We have ongoing mahi to clean up our harbour and waterways, reduce sedimentation and improve our infrastructure to reduce impacts on the harbour and monitor its health. More about our harbour
Takutai Whakatō | Streamside Planting Programme
Ngāti Toa has a vision for Porirua for the mauri (life force) of Te Awarua-o-Porirua to be restored and its waters healthy. We’re working together to ensure our mana whenua and everyone who lives in the region, and our manuhiri (visitors) can enjoy and play in our environment – and future generations are sustained, physically and culturally. Our Streamside Planting Programme helps to achieve this.
Parirua Māori ward
In 2021 Council resolved to establish the Parirua Māori Ward, as a way to guarantee Māori representation on Council. The ward was introduced at the 2022 local election, however a recent Government legislative change means councils are required to hold a binding poll or disestablish their ward. In August 2024 Porirua City Council has voted unanimously to retain its Māori ward, meaning a poll on the ward’s future will be held at the 2025 local election.
Te pūrakau o Te Manawa | The story of Te Manawa
Te Manawa is the name of our city centre, gifted to us by Ngāti Toa Rangatira. A pou (pictured), made by Ngāti Toa carver Hermann Salzmann, is a central focus of Te Manawa.
Te Manawa means ’a central place where many people gather, and their hearts beat as one’. Find out more
Te Kūkūwai o Toa Wetland | Elsdon Park Wetland
Wetlands are the kidneys of the planet because of the way they regulate water flow and filter waste. Te Kūkūwai o Toa Wetland – the wetland at Elsdon Park – helps reduce flooding and naturally filter stormwater before it runs into Te Awarua-o-Porirua.
The recently created wetland was developed in partnership between Wellington Water, Porirua City Council and Ngāti Toa Rangatira, with funding from the Ministry for the Environment Freshwater Improvement Fund. It is one of the wetlands planned for Porirua. More about Te Kūkūwai o Toa Wetland
A wetland is also proposed for Cannons Creek Park. News release
Reorua i Porirua | Bilingual signage in Porirua
We recognise and celebrate te reo Māori as an official language of Aotearoa New Zealand. Porirua city embraces te reo Māori in our signage, information resources and online.
Keep an eye out for our bilingual signage and heritage trails being developed and delivered in the city.
Wheako ā Rohe | Local Experiences
Strengthening communities through cultural pride and identity.
Te Umukai o Hau | Pātaka Art + Museum
Immerse yourself in the art and history of POrirua at our world class art gallery and museum.
Pātaka Art + Museum is a melting pot of New Zealand, Asian and international arts and cultures, and one of the must-dos if you are in Porirua.
An interactive gallery space within Pātaka is designed especially for tamariki, featuring colourful murals and interesting objects from our collection.
Within Pātaka is our Toi store, which offers Māori books, art and jewellery to look at and purchase. Visit Pātaka + Art Museum
Wharepukapuka | Porirua Library
Porirua City Library has one of the biggest collections of Māori lending and reference books. We also have a great range of books and events for tamariki and whānau. From pēpē to kaumātua, whānau history enthusiasts to studious researchers, practitioners of traditional arts, language and waiata, we've got you covered at our City Centre Library.
Our staff can help you to access the Raupatu Document Bank, online Waitangi Tribunal Reports, Ngāti Toa Rangatira collection as well as fiction by Māori authors, children's books in te reo Māori, children's games and puzzles, free te reo apps, te reo podcasts and videos.
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori | Māori Language Week
During Māori Language Week Porirua celebrates te reo Māori with a vibrant programme of events that share the rich culture of our Māori heritage.
Whakanuia te rā o Waitangi | Waitangi Day
Waitangi Day celebrations in Porirua have become a well-attended event for both locals and visitors from across the Wellington region. On Waitangi Day, there’s lots to see and do inside Te Rauparaha Arena, Pātaka + Art Museum, on or around Porirua Harbour, or you can just relax at Te Rauparaha Park, enjoy the acts on the main stage and try delicious kai from a multitude of vendors. Find out more
Whakanuia te rā o Matariki | Celebrate Matariki
Matariki signals the start of the Māori New Year, with the reappearance of the cluster of stars that herald the beginning of the transition from winter to spring and summer. Matariki events in Porirua follow the kaupapa of Matariki, with events enabling people to spend time with whānau, share stories and kai, remember ancestors and celebrate life. Find out more
Tangata Rongonui | Porirua’s Hall of Fame
The Porirua Hall of Fame highlights individuals who have helped put Porirua on the map with their contributions in the sporting, arts and political fields.
Hīkoi Kaituhi | Writers’ Walk
Developed in partnership with the Porirua Community Arts Council, the Writers’ Walk celebrates the rich legacy of writers and playwrights from around Porirua and features the wordsmith Te Rangihaeata, local writer Patricia Grace, DCNZM, Alistair Te Ariki Campbell and Elizabeth Knox.
Maungaroa 2050｜Iwi Partnership｜Our places, our stories｜Local experiences
