Te Otene Kikokiko and his wife Maata, gifted land in Helensville in 1865 for justice and education. The Courthouse and the Primary School were built on this land which became known locally as the “ten acre block”. Today, it runs from the bare piece of land beside the Caltex Station up to the Helensville Primary School on Garfield Road.
The Native Land Court (renamed the Maori Land Court in 1947) was established in 1865 with the purpose of translating customary Maori land ownership into legal land titles recognisable under English law. The first purpose-built Native Land Court in New Zealand was in Helensville, presided over by Judge John Rogan and is now on the Te Awaroa Museum site. Thus began the “Kaipara Minute Books”, a Court record of land sales - 33 volumes of transactions outlining boundaries and whakapapa.
As Maori people were brought before the court to determine native land entitlements and ownerships, the oral traditions of Maori citing their relationship to the land and the ancestors of it were recorded in these historic books. These recitals provide a profound insight into the heritage of the whenua and the people.
In recognition of their value as a unique archival resource and taonga Maori, in 2012 the Minute Books were listed in UNESCO’s New Zealand Memory of the World documentary heritage register.
They provide a link to tuuna, to heritage and to identity.
The museum is in the unique position of being able to offer a distinctly local resource to both students and other researchers. Maps are available showing original land blocks in the southern Kaipara area which can be tied into the actual land sales and further museum research has uncovered four pages of links to additional information, all to be available on site. Most of the hard work is done, but we need the funds for a bit of infrastructure such as electrical work, computers and display screens - a small pot of gold to invest in the region’s legacy is all we need. If you can help, even in a small way, please contact us at the museum. Info@museum.teawaroa.nz. (09)4207881. https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/help-us-get-a-pot-of-gold-and-bring-history-alive
