The Te Whenua Hou development is between the Waimakariri River and the Kōwhai River in the takiwā (tribal area) of Ngāi Tahu hapū (sub-tribe) Ngāi Tūāhuriri, one of the five primary hapū of Ngāi Tahu. In 1848 as part of the Kemp purchase, the Crown promised the entire block of land between the Waimakariri River and Kōwhai River as reserve land to Ngāi Tahu. However, only a fragment of this promised land was actually given to Ngāi Tahu. In 2000, following the Ngāi Tahu Settlement, Ngāi Tahu Property purchased the Eyrewell Forest (now known as Te Whenua Hou) block and today Ngāi Tahu are able to participate in a land-based economy in an area their ancestors asked to be set aside for them. The original Ngāi Tūāhuriri Pā is east of the dairy farms near the coast. It was established by Tūrākautahi around the year 1700, after Ngāi Tahu crossed … Continue reading A Place of Importance