Ko Topehaehae ki runga, ko Piakoiti ki raro, ko Waitakaruru i kotahi ai.

The three rivers that have sustained the people of Kai-a-te-mata, the Topehaehae in the South, Piakoiti in the North and the Waitakaruru that joins them.

Ko Topehaehae ki runga, ko Piakoiti ki raro, ko Waitakaruru i kotahi ai.

The three rivers that have sustained the people of Kai-a-te-mata, the Topehaehae in the South, Piakoiti in the North and the Waitakaruru that joins them.

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Pepeha

Ko Tainui te waka

Ko ngaa pae maunga e tuu nei

Ko Maungatautari te maunga tangata

Ko Maungakawa te maunga o ngaa taonga

Ko ngaa wai e tere nei

Ko Topeharhae ko Piakoiti ko Waitakaruru ko Waikato

Ko Ngaati Hauaa te Iwi

Ko Ngaati Werewere te hapuu

Ko Kai-a-te-mata te marae

Ko Wairere te whare tuupuna

Ko Tutekapua te wharekai

Ko Tumataura te whare waananga

Ko te Hunga Tapu te whare karakia

Brief History

He ako ano a ratou mo o ratou uri, e pena ano hoki toku matua ki ahau. I ako iho kia mau ki te pai kia atawhai ki te tutua.
These are things that our ancestors taught their descendants, likewise my father also taught me, hold on to what is good and care for the lowly

Tamihana’s statement is a reminder of the stories and teachings passed down to us from our ancestors. Our history written for Kai-a-te-mata whaanau about Kai-a-te-mata and the lives of ancestors and events that help us understand who we are today. Of course, our whaanau is influenced by what’s happening in the world around us and the relationships we have as Ngaati Werewere, Ngaati Hauaa, as a part of the Kiingitanga and as Maaori people in New Zealand.

Te Hunga Tapu

The story of Te Hunga Tapu – All Saints at Kai-a-te-mata Marae is one of devotion, resilience, and generations of faith. Its origins begin in Walton, where the first church was built in 1917 on the site now occupied by the Walton Community Church. Walton was then a bustling rural centre, its railway line connecting and sustaining the surrounding farming community.

By 1956, the ageing wooden church was set to be demolished and replaced with a brick building. Ngāti Hauā kuia Molly (Granny) Hotene, recognising its spiritual and historical value, acted quickly. With the support of the Walton congregation and Kai-a-te-mata whaanau, the church was saved and carefully relocated to the marae, welcomed with aroha.

Reopened and consecrated in 1957, Te Hunga Tapu became a treasured whare karakia. Guided by Canon Wi Te Tau Huata and Reverend Tiki Raumati under the blessing of Pīhopa Wiremu Panapa, it served for decades as a place of worship and community—hosting baptisms, weddings, tangihanga, and gatherings that shaped the spiritual whakapapa of Ngāti Hauā.

The belfry honoured kaumaatua Ropata Tanawhea Hotene and Molly (Granny) Hotene for their role in relocating the church, while the bell itself commemorated Reverend Arama and Hokimate Karira, the first Pastorate Ministers of Te Mīhana o Te Tai Tokerau, who presided here in 1957.

When the marae entered a new phase of redevelopment, Te Hunga Tapu was respectfully deconsecrated by Pīhopa Ngarahu Katene, Bishop Sir David Moxon (Emeritus), Reverend Te Herenga Wirihana, and Reverend Hohua Matauwhati. Its farewell coincided with the dismantling of the tuupuna whare to make way for a new whare nui.

During this transition, Tumuaki Anaru Thompson issued a heartfelt wero: to ensure the spiritual heartbeat of Te Hunga Tapu would live on. That challenge continues to guide the community today.

Though the church was demolished in July 2020, its mauri remains. Its legacy endures in the land, in the memories of those who worshipped within its walls, and in the ongoing spiritual life of Ngāti Hauā and Ngāti Werewere ki Kai-a-te-mata.