Wiremu Puke
I used to hear the old people talk about this river as almost like one’s pito. That pito is like an emotional bond as a mother with its child – the same bond I would have with my aunty and with any members of my family. You can’t break that bond, but that bond can only be strengthened when one becomes more aware of the importance of a river like this.
When I think of the river – Waikato Taniwharau, he piko he taniwha, on every bend of the Waikato river is a chief – that really talks about the kaitiakitanga of each other’s tūpuna that they had over this river, and being able to provide kai, to host and to celebrate their mana. Not all of it was always happy, but that comes with the territory. At the time, there was a lot of competition over kai, over māra kai were particularly the most prized.
Acknowledgement:
The Waikato Tainui College for Research and Development acknowledges the financial support given by the Waikato River Cleanup Trust Fund which is administered by the Waikato River Authority.
The Waikato River Cleanup Trust does not necessarily endorse or support the content of the publication in any way.