Kua 60 tau te roanga o te Hītori o Rotoiti 15, heoi, e hia nei ngā whakatupuranga kua nōhia wēnei whenua e ō tatau tūpuna. Kua puritia e Te Kōti Whenua Māori te hītori o ō tatau whenua, ōroko mai ai i te tōpūtanga o wētehi poraka whenua āhua maha nō ngā hapū o Ngāti Pikiao, o Ngāti Rongomai, o Ngāti Tarawhai, tuia ki te whenua i riro nā tētehi whakawhitinga ki te Karauna.
The History of Rotoiti 15 spans the past 60 years, however these lands have been occupied by our ancestors for generations. Māori Land Court records capture the history of our lands, which began as an amalgamation of several land blocks derived from Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Rongomai and Ngāti Tarawhai hapū lands, along with land received from an exchange with the Crown.
I waihangatia a Rotoiti 15 whai muri i te tono a te Karauna kia tāpirihia wētehi anō whenua ki te rāhui whenua o Okataina. Ka tukuna ā, ka whakaaetia e ngā kaipupuri whenua tētehi tono kia tāpirihia wētehi pito whenua ki te poraka whenua Okataina 12 me tētehi wāhanga o Rotoiti 14 (poraka whenua Karauna). Ko tā tēnei whakawhitinga he whakaatu i te manawaroa o ō tatau tūpuna ki te toitūtanga o te taiao me te pupuri i te mana whenua mō te whanaketanga ā-ohanga. Nā te whakawhiti i a Okataina 12 me tētehi wāhanga o Rotoiti 14 mō wētehi wāhi whenua (Ruawahia X and Matahina X) i taea ai e te Tarati te pupuri whenua hai painga ā-ohanga me te whai wāhi ki te toitūtanga o te taiao o tō tatau rohe.
Rotoiti 15 was formed following a request from the Crown for more land to be added to the Okataina Scenic reserve. A request was made and agreed to, by the owners, for various portions of the lands to be included in a block called Okataina 12, along with Part of Rotoiti 14 (Crown block). This exchange demonstrates our forbearer’s commitment to environmental sustainability and maintaining land ownership for economic growth. The exchange of Okataina 12 and Part of Rotoiti 14 for equal sized land areas (Ruawahia X and Matahina X) enabled the Trust to maintain land’s for economic benefit whilst also contributing to the environmental sustainability of our rohe.
Kia whakamānawatia ngā wawata o ō tatau tūpuna, ko ngā mahi katoa a te Tarati he aro nui ki ngā wawata o ō tatau kaipupuri whenua, ō tatau hapū, ō tatau iwi.
In order to honor the aspirations of our tūpuna, it is essential that everything the Trust does is focused on contributing to the aspirations of our owners, hapū and iwi.
