Poutini: The Ngāi Tahu history of the West Coast

Poutini: The Ngāi Tahu history of the West Coast – by Paul Madgwick

Te Tai Poutini – The South Island’s west coast – is the cradle of some of the earliest stories of creation and exploration in the Māori world. In mythology, Aoraki’s wrecked waka formed what is today the South Island; Māui, the great polynesian explorer, made his final landfall at Maitahi on the south-western coast, and from there went on to ‘fish up’ Te-Ika-a-Māui, the North Island; and a later explorer Kupe, discovered pounamu (greenstone) in a waterway he named Arahura. Pounamu has defined Te Tai Poutini history ever since.

Poutini opens by explaining the regions mythology, particularly around the creation of pounamu. Drawing on a lifetime of research author Paul Madgwick then considers the migration to and occupation of Te Tai Poutini by different Iwi, which lead to conflicts  for control of pounamu land. The book is broadly chronological that with frequent breakouts to follow particular people, issues and themes the author gives the detailed account of succession of Māori settlements all along the West Coast interweaving pre-contact history with early interactions between pākehā explorers and Ngāi Tahu, land sales and the allocation of Māori reserves all of which also feature and dedicated chapters.

The books reach incorporates the impact of the West Coast gold rushes – and the pivotal role Poutini Ngāi Tahu played in these – and the two World Wars, development in the 20th century through to 1998 Ngāi Tahu settlement and the new possibilities of the current century. Throughout, it is the voices and images of Ngāi Tahu people that speak loud.

Although Ngāi Tahu and its related hapū Ngāti Waewae and Ngāti Māhaki have occupied Te Tai Poutini for centuries and some general histories are widely known throughout the Iwi, much knowledge has remained scattered and hidden. Poutini pulls these different histories from a range of sources into one place incorporating direct reportage, a wealth of historic and contemporary photographs, detailed maps and whakapapa (genealogical charts).

This, then, is a comprehensive story of the Poutini coast, from the mists of legend to the bloody pounamu wars, the Māori discovery of gold to the feats of great mountain climbers, and the uneasy transition to a changing world.

Format: This book is a hardback book

Language: This book is written in English

Published: November 2024