Te Kauika Tapuwae Ō Tāngaroa
Why Kupe Returned Home To Aotearoa
Kupe’s return to Hokianga is not symbolic, metaphorical, political, or performative. It is not an event staged for recognition, nor a narrative constructed for explanation. It is a continuation of whakapapa responsibility, carried forward in time and returned to its point of origin. What returns was never absent in essence — only awaiting the moment when responsibility could again be held correctly. Te Hokianga Nui Ō Kupe is not simply a place of arrival. It is Te Puna Ō Te Ao Mārama — the wellspring of everlasting life of return, departure, and renewal. It is where Kupe made his home for over 60 years, where knowledge was anchored into land and water, and where his departure was named so that return would always remain possible. Hokianga holds the memory of both leaving and coming back. That memory has never been lost.
Kupe did not leave Hokianga without purpose. When he departed, he entrusted his son, Tumutumuwhenua, as a living talisman of guardianship. For this reason, Hokianga is guarded by three taniwha — Ārai Te Uru, Niniwa, and Tumutumuwhenua — each holding a distinct responsibility within the awa and the whenua. These are not myths or metaphors, but living relationships embedded in place, movement, and continuity. Kupe’s return completes what was never abandoned. The return to Hokianga is not about reclaiming authority. Authority was never taken. It is about restoring balance and resuming responsibility. It marks a recalibration — a reminder that leadership, knowledge, and authority were never meant to be extracted, centralised, or controlled, but lived relationally across land, people, and time. Kupe returns not as a figure to be celebrated, but as a responsibility to be carried.
The whenua prepared today bears the same name — Te Hokianga Nui Ō Kupe — signifying not departure, but return. This preparation is practical, grounded, and intergenerational. It is about creating conditions where whānau connected to this whenua can live sustainably, with access to land, fresh water, shelter, food grown from the whenua, safety, and unconditional aroha. It is about restoring the ability to live well, equally, and in balance with each other and with the natural world.
Kupe’s return activates responsibility across infrastructure, not hierarchy. The Whare that exist within this kaupapa are not symbolic structures, nor institutional creations. They are expressions of responsibility aligned to timing and need. Each Whare holds its own function and purpose. Together, they form Te Papakāinga Ō Kupe-Ariki — a living environment intended to sustain life spiritually, physically, culturally, and across generations. Not all Whare are active at once. Others exist and will be spoken of when their time arrives. This return is carried under Te Tikanga Nui Ō Te Mana Tuku Iho — the Supreme Order of Pacific Inherent Authority — and expressed relationally through Pacific Inherent Relations International (PIRI). These are not governing bodies, belief systems, or political frameworks. They are reference points that hold alignment between human action and the natural, living, multi-dimensional universe of IO. They exist to ensure responsibility remains anchored to source, and that action remains accountable to life.
Kupe did not return to persuade, recruit, or convince. The return does not seek agreement, permission, or validation. It continues whether acknowledged or not. Not all whānau will move together. Not all understanding arrives at once. What matters is that what is carried remains intact, and that what is acted upon is done with care. The future being prepared here is not one of acceleration, dominance, or expansion. It is one of alignment — where decisions are made slowly, responsibilities are honoured fully, and actions are measured by their effect on life rather than their visibility. Kupe returned home to Hokianga because responsibility called him back.
Because what was left unfinished required return.
Because whakapapa remembers.And because some journeys are not complete until they come home.
Kupe returned home to Te Hokianga Nui Ō Kupe because he asked to return. His return was not sudden, symbolic, or opportunistic. It was the culmination of repeated requests made over many years, carried through people, dreams, hui, and responsibility, and only acted upon once permission and alignment were finally present.
The First Attempts — 17 Years Ago
Seventeen years ago, the first attempt to return our tūpuna Kupe home to Hokianga was initiated by Uncle Patu Hōhepa. At that time, Uncle Patu made the initial effort to have Kupe returned, acting out of responsibility to whakapapa and tikanga. That attempt was not successful, as agreement and confirmation could not be reached among the relevant kaumātua and whānau. Around the same period, Te Atua Ura, a tohunga from Maupiti, was approached by Kupe. Te Atua Ura later shared that Kupe had come to him and asked to return home to Hokianga. Te Atua Ura then contacted Te Hira Nōpera of Ngāti Tautahi to assist with fulfilling this obligation. Te Hira Nōpera helped Te Atua Ura to bring this request forward appropriately.
Following this, three hui were held in Te Tai Tokerau. These hui were led by kaumātua including Patu Hōhepa, Hekenukumai Pūhipi, and Sonny Tau. The purpose of these hui was to determine whether the remains in Maupiti were indeed Kupe and whether a return was appropriate. After careful discussion, the hui concluded that they could not confirm with certainty that the remains were Kupe. As a result, a decision was made not to return Kupe at that time, and instead a monument was built on Maupiti Island to acknowledge his presence there. No further action was taken.
Additional Requests and Unacted Messages
Sixteen years ago, Mama Tere contacted me directly. Her intention was to ask whether the Taumata Kaumātua Ō Ngāpuhi might reconsider the decision that had been made earlier. At that time, I was unable to assist, as I was in the process of writing my PhD between 2012 and 2015, and was not in a position to engage in that work. During the earlier hui period, one of my cousins—whose name I will not state—was present at all the meetings held seventeen years ago. He later told me that Te Atua Ura had informed the Taumata Kaumātua Ō Ngāpuhi that Kupe had come to him personally and expressed his desire to return home to Hokianga. This account was also confirmed by Te Hira Nōpera. Another cousin also shared that Kupe had visited him directly and asked him to reiterate this request to the whānau. That cousin stood and spoke openly in the Whare, sharing what he had experienced. Despite both of these confirmations, no action was taken at that time.
The 2024 Pilgrimage
In 2024, we undertook a pilgrimage under the mantle of Hawaiki Nui and returned to Maupiti. It was important that I brought with me my cousin who had been present at all the meetings seventeen years earlier, so that continuity and witness were maintained. While on Maupiti, it was brought to our attention by the hau kāinga that Kupe was buried there. This information was not asserted lightly and was explored carefully and respectfully with the family who hold guardianship of Kupe on Maupiti.
July 2025 — The Dream and Agreement
In July 2025, during our return to Maupiti, the eldest daughter of the family who are the guardians of Kupe shared a dream she had received. In the dream, she spoke directly with Kupe. Kupe confirmed to her that he was returning home to Hokianga. She asked him if he was ready to return, and he said yes. After she shared this dream at our meeting, the family discussed it collectively. Following that discussion, the entire family agreed that Kupe would return home to Hokianga. There was no resistance from the hau kāinga of Maupiti. The decision was made in unity, clarity, and peace.
Ra‘iātea, Hokianga, and the Role of the Kaumātua
In December 2024, our whānau from Ra‘iātea visited Hokianga. A convention was held between Hokianga and Ra‘iātea and was signed by Uncle John Klarisic, Uncle Wiremu Peita, Uncle Boy Te Wake, and Aunty Bubby. Following this, a return trip to Ra‘iātea was planned for July 2025. The Taumata Kaumātua Ō Hokianga had one year to organise travel. However, two months before the planned return trip, it became clear that the kaumātua were unable to afford the cost of travel. The return trip was scheduled for the last week of July 2025. Because the kaumātua could not attend, they asked me to represent them on their behalf. I agreed to do so, with their permission. It was at this point that the question of Kupe’s return arose again. I contacted 20 kaumātua of Hokianga directly and asked them what they wanted done with our tūpuna Kupe. Their response was clear and unanimous: “Bring him home to Hokianga.” I acted only on their instruction. They also, keep the entire tinana together as one.
The Deeper Significance — Rangitūhaha and Anchoring Mauri
In July 2024, because the Taumata Kaumātua Ō Hokianga were unable to travel to Ra‘iātea, I gathered a small team of ten people to represent Hokianga. I had been preparing for 26 years to enter this most sacred marae within Te Moana Nui a Hiva. Together with the hau kāinga, we re-opened Te Rangitūhaha, the gateway that had been closed since the time of Tamatoa Ariki Te Rangitūātinitini. When a task of this magnitude is undertaken, it requires an anchoring mauri. The bones of our tūpuna Kupe are that anchoring mauri. For this reason, the mauri must be anchored in Hokianga. This is the deeper truth of why Kupe returned home. Kupe’s Arikitanga and the Completion of the Circle When Kupe left Ra‘iātea, he had argued with his father Whitirangimamao, who did not wish to pass the mantle of Ariki to him at that time. Kupe left and returned to Hawaiki to fulfil his responsibilities. His father later passed away before the mantle could be formally transferred.
When we returned to Ra‘iātea with the endorsement of the 20 kaumātua of Hokianga, it was an honour for all of us. When it was my time to speak on Marae Taputapuātea, I stood and declared Kupe as an Ariki, reciting his genealogical lines. That act was the restoration of his Arikitanga on behalf of all of us. Kupe returned home to Te Hokianga Nui Ō Kupe-Ariki to complete this circle — spiritually, genealogically, and cosmologically.
