Kua whakatau ngā iwi o Te Kāhui Maunga ki runga o Te Matatini i tēnei rangi, nā ngā mana whenua o Ngāti Te Whiti.
I mua i te whakaekenga atu o ngā iwi o te motu ki runga o Te Matatini, kua pōhiritia te mauri o Te Matatini, me ngā mate o te rohe o Te Kāhui Maunga, hai tangi ngātahitanga.
Ko te mate o Kahurangi Tariana Turia, tāna mokopuna a Pakaitore Turia, rātau ko Hana Taewa, tērā e kawea atu ana ki runga o Ngāti Te Whiti hapū.
Hai tā te heamana o Te Kāhui Maunga, tā Elijah Pue, me tae tika atu ngā mate o te rohe, kia pōhiritia hoki ngā mate o te iwi Māori whānui tonu.
“Koia pea te whakaaro, kia tae tuatahi mai ngā mate nui o te Kāhui Maunga kia kite ake rā te motu anei ō tātou mate, haria mai ki konei, kia tūhonotia ā tātou mate puta noa i te ao Māori. Me te mihi anō hoki ki te nui o ngā mate i tēnei tau tonu.”
I whakaeke ngātahitia ngā kapa haka o Te Kāhui Maunga ki runga o Māratahu Huakai, e kawe nei i te mauri o Te Matatini, ka mutu, kia whai wā hoki ki te whakapiripiri anō i mua i te taenga mai o ngā iwi o te motu.
Ko te hapū o Ngāti Te Whiti te mana whakatau i ngā kapa haka o te Kāhui Maunga i tēnei rā, ā, hai tā tētahi uri, kaiārahi hoki o Ngāti Te Whiti, tā Damon Ritai, kua whātoro atu te mauri o Te Matatini ki ngā iwi maha o Te Kāhui Maunga, ka mutu, ko taua mauri tonu rā ka tau ki runga i tōna hapū.
“Kua tae atu ia ki te Pā o ngā Ariki, ka taetae ana ki te awa tupua, anā, ka taetae ana ki Pātea, ā, ka uru mai ki roto o te raki nei o Taranaki. I tēnei wā, ka tae ana e ia ki te Māratahu Huakai, kaikai ana tēnei tō tātou mahi Rangatira e hāpai ana. Koia anō rā te mana, koia anō te mauri.”
He mauri tawhito hoki i kawea atu.
Haunga anō te mauri o Te Matatini i tae atu ki runga o Māratahu Huakai i tēnei rā, ko te toki i tārai i te waka o Tokomaru hoki tērā i kawea atu kia tūhono ai te mauri o Te Matatini ki te mauri o te toki arā ko Poutamawhiria.
I hahu mai te toki nei i te tau 1923, i Pukearuhe, ā, nō te tau 1927 e noho ana ia ki te whare taonga o Taranaki.
Hai tā Ritai he tūtakitanga tēnei o te ao kōhatu me te ao kikokiko.
“Ko te whakaaro nei kia uru mai tō tātou nei taonga ki waenganui ō mātou, hei hui ora. Nōreira, ko Poutamawhiria, kia whiriwhiri ai tātou ngā tangata, kia whiriwhiri ai tātou ngā kaupapa, kia noho tahi ai ki te taha o te mauri o Te Matatini.”
Te wairua mō Te Matatini.
Hai āpōpō ka tae atu ngā kapa haka e 55 ki runga o Te Kāhui Maunga, whakatau ai.
Kua takatū ngā iwi o Te Kāhui Maunga ki te pōhiri i ngā iwi maha nō ngā tōpito katoa o te motu, Ahitereiria anō hoki.
Hai tā Ritai kua rite rātau ki te manaaki i ngā manuhiri tuatini.
“Ko te mea nui ki a mātou, kia manaakitia te tangata, me te whakaaro anō rā, te huri atu rā ki ngā poropiti, ko te kāhui wairua anō tērā. Ka hoki aku kōrero ki a Tohu rāua ko Te Whiti ki roto i te maungārongo, nā te maungārongo anō rā e whai oranga tātou nei o Taranaki.
Ka mutu e hīkaka ana hoki a Pue ki te whakatau i te makiu tāngata.
“E hīkaka ana kia tae mai te motu, hei āpōpō, hei te Mane, tae mai te motu ki konei, ki tō tātou rohe, ki te kāinga anō hoki. Nōreira āe, e tino haikai ana a Te Kāhui Maunga mō Te Matatini o Te Kāhui Maunga, he Kāhui Tipua, he Kāhui Wairua.”
