Māori history
Ngāti Maika, hapū of Ngā Rauru have been at Pākaraka since the beginning of time and are tāngata whenua.
Tāngata whenua means that the people originate from the land, and were here prior to Aotea Waka, the Great Migration and European settlement. ‘Ko Ngaa Paiaka O Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi” (R Broughton, 1979)
Ngāti Maika area of lands extend from the coast between the Ōkehu and Ototoka streams, inland to what is known locally as Ōtongawera and Ōmarunui
The original Pā site was located behind the William Birch pool and was shifted to its existing site in the 1860’s.
The first settlers
The resident tribes were resistant to the alienation of their lands and therefore settlement by Europeans did not really begin until the mid 1860’s.
Negotiations for the Waitōtara Land blocks began in 1859. The negotiations were riddled with conflict with the tribes involved concerned about the progression of European settlement of their lands. Eventually in 1863 the purchase went through. “The way we were; The settlement of Maxwell and Waitōtara – 1850-1930” (Laraine Sole).
The Handley Woolshed incident
On 27 November 1868, a government militia encountered a group of unarmed children of Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi and other iwi of Taranaki at Handley’s Woolshed near Waitotara. The children were from the nearby Tauranga Ika Pa, the eldest about 10 years old. In an unprovoked attack, the militia fired on the group, then pursued them on horseback and attacked them with sabres. Two of the children were killed and others wounded.
Source: Deed of Settlement of the historical claims of Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi.