Under the 1848 Canterbury Purchase the largest block of reserved land set aside for Ngāi Tahu was the Kaiapoi Māori Reserve 873. However, as a result of the land being granted by the Crown, traditional customary rights were uncertain giving rise to a need for title clarity for tribal members and whānau.
In response to this need our people decided to establish a tribal council or Rūnanga to determine issues of property and how they would collectively live upon the Reserve. In 1859 the Kaiapoi Rūnanga was established. It was to be the first Rūnanga in New Zealand. The Rūnanga constitution was clear that it was a meeting of land owners decided in common by the people and confirmed under the 1862 Crown Grants Act.
Since its establishment the Kaiapoi Māori Rūnanga has often been referred to as the Tuahiwi Rūnanga and latterly as the Ngāi Tūāhuriri Rūnanga as stated in the 1996 Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Act.
In response to this need our people decided to establish a tribal council or Rūnanga to determine issues of property and how they would collectively live upon the Reserve. In 1859 the Kaiapoi Rūnanga was established. It was to be the first Rūnanga in New Zealand. The Rūnanga constitution was clear that it was a meeting of land owners decided in common by the people and confirmed under the 1862 Crown Grants Act.
Since its establishment the Kaiapoi Māori Rūnanga has often been referred to as the Tuahiwi Rūnanga and latterly as the Ngāi Tūāhuriri Rūnanga as stated in the 1996 Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Act.
