Ko Parawhau te paa whakamutunga o Ngaati Hauaa i tuu ki te waahi o Fencourt me French Pass. I noho a Te Werewere me tana iramutu a Te Oro ki ngaa paa o Parawhau me Maunganui. I noho a Ngaati Hauaa mai i ngaa tau 1300 aa i whaanau mai te tamaiti a Te Oro ara a Te Ahuroa ki Parawhau. I nohotahi a Te Ahuroa me te tamaiti a Werewere, a Hauaa II me aa raaua whaanau ki te paa o Horotiu. Ko Te Tiwha Penetito, te tamaiti a Te Ahuroa, te rangatira whakamutunga i te paa o Parawhau. I kati teenei paa i te tau 1920 i te waa i tuku whenua atu ki Tauiwi.

Ko te “Paa tuuwatawata” te tikanga o te kupu Parawhau

Parawhau Paa was the last settlement of Ngaati Hauaa in Cambridge located in the Fencourt and French Pass area. The Maaori chiefs Te Werewere and his nephew Te Oro lived at both Parawhau Paa and Maunganui which is in close proximity to the Whitehall area.

Ngaati Hauaa was there from the early 1300s and it was at Parawhau paa that Te Oro’s son, Te Ahuroa, was born. Hauaa II, the son of Werewere, along with Te Ahuroa lived at Horotiu paa with their wives and families. The last Ngaati Hauaa chief at Parawhau was Te Tiwha Penetito, son of Te Ahuroa. The paa was closed in 1920 when land was given to the settlers.

The meaning of Parawhau is “defence and protection” and has a similar meaning in Maaori to that of “Paa tuuwatawata” (fortified paa site).

Copyright: Ngāti Koroki Kahukura Trust and Ngāti Hauā Iwi Trust, 2015.