George Taiaroa

Awhitu House The memorial garden established among the foundations and chimney stack remains of the historic Awhitu House, Taumutu.In the late 19th century the M.P. for Southern Māori, H.K. Hori Kerei Taiaroa, moved to Taumutu. Taiaroa had ancestral ties to Taumutu and was an eminent leader and very influential figure in both Māori and Pākehā worlds. Seeking resolution of ‘Te Kerēme’, the Ngāi Tahu Claim was a major part of his life’s work.

His family home, Awhitu House, was built at Taumutu in 1878. Awhitu House was the scene of many important gatherings and was to become the residence of successive paramount chiefs of Ngāi Tahu, among them Riki Taiaroa-Ellison. Awhitu house was used as a marae for Taiaroa family gatherings. In April 2003, this whare tawhito (heritage building) tragically burnt to the ground resulting in the loss of not only the building but irreplaceable taonga tukuiho (treasures handed down) housed inside. A memorial garden has been established among the foundations and chimney stacks that remain standing on this historic site.

H. K. Taiaroa was a man of the church and immediately after his move to the Taumutu district he worked with the local Māori and Pākehā communities to raise funds for the building of a whare karakia. The Hone Wetere (John Wesley) Church was subsequently built on the spiritually significant site of the old pā of Te Ruahikihiki. The church was opened in April 1885. It remains closely associated with Ngāti Moki Marae — the marae urupā is situated around the church. The Methodist church are currently in the process of returning Te Hone Wetere Church to Te Taumutu Rūnanga.

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