Customary Leadership

The Office of Upoko provides a mana to mana interface that supports Hapū, leaders, and rangatahi.

The position of Upoko is an enduring form of customary leadership within Ngāi Tahu (Ngāi Tahu Settlement Act 1998 ).

The authority of Upoko is captured in the following pēpēhā:

The pēpēhā by Te Matenga Taiaroa of Kāi Te Ruahikihiki, who declared his authority in Te Waipounamu:

Ko au te Upoko me te hiku o tōku motu

I am the head and tail of my island

The pēpēhā by Ngāi Tūāhuriri Upoko Pita Te Hori:

I ahu mai ōku ture i tōku tipuna i a Tūāhuriri

My laws come from my ancestor, Tūāhuriri

Duties of Upoko

1. Atawhai the people, protect their rights and maintain harmony within the tribe;
2. Determine and represent the obligations of ture-wairua;
3. Be the active face of the rangatiratanga and mana of Ngāi Tahu and its engagement with the Crown;
4. Maintain and actively assert the customs (kawa, tikaka, riteka and ture) and traditions of mana atua, mana takata and ariki tapu;
5. Act as Ngāi Tahu representatives for treaties and covenants held with the Crown;
6. Protect the tribe from the predations of other iwi;
7. Maintain the authority of the ancestors of Ngāi Tahu in Te Waipounamu; and
8. Protect the reserves and their usage, kainga nohoanga, mahinga kai and the obligations of Ngāi Tahu to Raki and Papatūānuku.

Murihiku Upoko

Tā Tipene O’Regan.Tā Tipene O’Regan

Upoko Te Rūnaka o Awarua

Tipene was born to his Ngāi Tahu mother, Rena Ruiha O’Regan (nee Bradshaw) in Wellington in 1939. His father was Rolland O’Regan, a surgeon of West Coast Irish descent. His mother had been born at Kōpūtai but raised in Awarua (Bluff). Rena was a nurse and a singer who descended from ‘most of the major hapū of Ngāi Tahu’.

Tipene’s personal scholarly interest is largely in the traditional history and ethnology of Ngāi Tahu and Te Waipounamu. As well he has a major academic interest in general New Zealand history and the Māori political economy. Tipene has published and lectured extensively over many years on Ngāi Tahu traditional history, Polynesian migration, Treaty issues, and the evolution of biculturalism. Tipene O’Regan was knighted in 1994.

Michael Skerrett.Michael Skerrett

Upoko o Murihiku.

From Waihopai/Invercargill, Michael’s family can be traced back more than 800 years in Murihiku. Michael has dedicated his life to Murihiku Māori, and is passionate about protecting the future of Ngāi Tahu. He has served Ngāi Tahu as Upoko, Rūnanga Chairperson, Te Rūnanga representative, and was the founding Manager of Te Ao Marama environmental service agency. In 2013 Michael was awarded the Queen’s Service Medal for services to Māori and he became an Honorary SIT Fellow in 2014.

Terry Nicholas.Terry Nicholas

Upoko Hokonui Rūnanga and Portfolio Director

Terry is the Manager of Hokonui Rūnanga, the Hokonui Representative on the Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu tribal council, and the Portfolio Director for Murihiku Regeneration. Terry has been involved with Hokonui Rūnanga and has been the Hokonui Te Rūnanga O Ngāi Tahu representative since January 1999. His special interest is building succession out of settlement - “mo tatou, a, mo ka uri a muri ake nei”. Terry is also a member of the Just Transition oversight group, to ensure the rights and interests of Murihiku hapū are being represented.

Terry works tirelessly to protect and enhance the spiritual, cultural, organisational, educational, and economic aspirations of Hokonui Rūnanga and Murihiku Hapū through Murihiku Regeneration. His vision for the future is for Hokonui Rūnanga to be a leading organisation, well positioned back in its role where it has been absent for so long. Tiwai Point has a rich cultural history, and Terry has a deep passion for having the area remediated and reinstated. He is a descendant of Captain James Joss, a whaler who previously owned the land where the existing smelter is located. This land was allocated in customary terms by Tuhawaiki paramount chief of Murihiku.