Poutu Marae has celebrated their poukai near Shannon since 1977. This poukai commemorates the time kaumaatua of Ngaati Whakatere traveled to Waikato to request a poukai. Then was agreed to by Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu.
The Poutu Marae was built in 1876 next to the Manawatu River.
It was the Maori community house.
The sub-tribe Raukawa helped build the Poutu Marae and the Tainui waka.
Poutu Marae was built to serve the peoples of Ngati Whakatere, Ngati Ngarongo, Ngati Takihiku, Ngati Rakau and Ngati Turanga.
They all lived nearby in the 1830s.
The Whakatere people are great performers with a great kapahaka team. They won the New Zealand Kapahaka Championship in 1925. They defeated six other teams and held the shield in the place we now call Shannon.
Our tribe used two totara trees from Poutu Pa. Their names are Whangarae and Whangaihu. Later on they were chopped down. The tribe placed these two totara trees into the Manawatu River. The two totara drifed down the river. Our tribe used the left over timber to build the Turongo Church. This whare karakia still stands today at Poutu Marae. In 1930s the Turongo Church had fallen into disrepair, then finally rebuilt in 1937.
Our Maori people fought many wars to protect our tribe.
The Ngati Whakatere warriors were great fighters and other tribes believed that the Ngati Whakatere people were being assisted and blessed by the god of war, Tumatauenga.
The services and transport were poor so the people of the Ngati Whakatere moved to nearby towns where there was work. This together, the Road’s Board made a decision to put a road through the hill were Turongo stood and possible put by the river, giving the impetus to move the little church to the Poutu marae. The Ngati Whakatere people are grateful of the number of Shannon citizens who helped move the little church, their name’s are Brian Moynihan and Mrs Flora and the Simpson family, Mr’s Jarret, Brain Clayton and Ronald Law.
We asked our Aunties: Aunty Maki and Aunty Mona.
Aunty Maki said that there were many trees before the Poutu Marae was built.
Back in Aunty Mona’s days our carver was Hokowhitu McGregor.
There were six or seven families that lived at Poutu Marae. The Rauhihi’s and the Ropoama’s.
Aunty Maki also mentioned that the marae kitchen had dirt floors with an open fire place.
They used a long drop to do their business instead of a flash flush toilet like we have today. The whanau (family) used to wash themselves in the nearby river.
In 1965 the children from Poutu Marae used to walk to school, there were no buses to pick up the children from the Poutu Marae.
The School helped the kapahaka team to go to the New Zealand Kapahaka Championship in 1931. The kapahaka team won the New Zealand Championships and Ngati Whakatere didn’t pay back the school’s money back until 1970!
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Thank you everybody for sharing the exciting knowlege about our Poutu Marae. It’s important because we can build good relationships around community when we know more about ourselves and where we come from. Thank you!
Acknowledgments
Internet: Kete Horowhenua
From Bush and Swamp by Mrs Marjorie Law
Aunty Maki and Aunty Mona
Mrs Grace Nikolaison
POUTU PA
MOE MOEIA
According to history there was an old tohunga who had a dream about two logs. He dreamt that the two logs floated down the Manawatu river from Rangiotu and landed at Moutoa river bank.