Hitori
The Tauranga Moana Tangata Whenua Collective was established in 2002 due to the rampant sub-division and residential developments and infrastructure projects within Tauranga Moana required by the then Tauranga District Council.
Prior to 2002, a dedicated group of local tangata whenua set out to look at ways of working alongside the Tauranga District Council. It was apparent that a wider focus and opportunities were open for other hapū and iwi within the Tauranga District Council territorial authority to come together through a forum or a collective capacity.
The change of name from the Tauranga Moana Tangata Whenua Collective to the Te Rangapu Mana Whenua o Tauranga Moana Partnership in 2018 as a result of a consenting context, meaning the mana whenua being the indigenous people who have historic and territorial rights over their lands. It refers to Iwi and Hapū who have territorial rights in Tauranga Moana.
Te Ara Moana – Taaniko Pattern
The pattern used in this design is called Te Ara Moana. Translated this means, “the pathway through the ocean” representing the migration of our ancestors to Aotearoa and the links that Tauranga have to the many other waka that migrated to Aotearoa.
The tapatoru (three triangles) represent the three main iwi that make up Tauranga moana – Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Pūkenga, and Ngāti Ranginui – with the white triangle acknowledging the Waitaha connection to the Te Arawa waka.