I tēnei wiki ka haere a Waka Huia ki Pūkākī, tētahi o ngā marae kaumātua o Tāmaki Makaurau. I raro o te mana o Te Akitai, hapū no Te Waiohua. Ka tū te marae nei tata ki te tihi o Ngā tapuwae o Mataaoho. Whakahokia ki te wā i tae mai te waka o Tainui i raro o Hoturoa me tona mātāmua ko Poutukeka. Ko tēnei na i tōna kōrero tawhito.
Miki Apiti, Kaikawe Kōrero.
Maurice Wilson (Ngāti Māhanga) - Kaumātua.
Te Wārena Taua (Te Waiohua, Te Kawerau-a-Maki) - Kaumātua.
Jim Rauwhero (Te Waiohua, Te Akitai) - Kaumātua.
Joe Matatā (Te Waiohua, Te Akitai) - Kaumātua.
Donna Richards Rauwhero (Te Waiōhua, Te Akitai) - Kuia.
Sonny Rauwhero (Te Waiōhua, Ngāti Māhanga) - Kaumātua.
Waka Huia documents the history and stories of Pukaki Marae as one of the oldest marae in the Tāmaki Makaurau region, through the eyes of the descendants of Te Akitai, Hapu of Te Waiohua. Pukaki Marae is situated in Māngere near the edge of the Pukaki crater, regarded as one of Ngā Tapuwae o Mataaoho - The footprints of Mataaoho. It is acknowledged as being one of the oldest Marae in Auckland. It is the principle Marae of Te Akitai Hapū of Te Waiohua. The origins of Pukaki can be traced back to the arrival of Tainui waka when Poutukeka, eldest son of Hoturoa, captain of the Tainui canoe first landed on the shores of the Manukau Harbour, also known as Te Manukanukatanga a Hoturoa. Poutukeka later settled in the Manukau area where Pukaki Marae stands today. It's formal name is Te Pukaki Tapu o Poutukeka - The Sacred Spring of Poutukeka. During the Waikato wars of the 1860's the people of Te Akitai suffered great land loss through onselling by other Hapu, legislation and confiscation. The areas of land that were lost included the main marae area, urupa and various waahi tapu. 1300 acres were subsequently taken and occupied by settlers, leaving the Hapu with only 160 acres on the north bank of the Manukau harbour. A new Marae was built in 1890 on the remaining land. It is said that by the 1950's Pukaki was the centre of a thriving community of almost 200 families. The Marae was said to be a very large complex with the dining room being able to hold 1000 people during a single sitting. In 1965 the Auckland Airport was opened. This had a huge effect on Pukaki Marae as it was in the area zoned for the flight path of a planned second runway. At this stage the Marae buildings had deteriorated, and this in conjunction with the airport zoning led to the Hapu making the decision to demolish the Marae in 1966. In 1974 the siting of the proposed second runway was shifted and Pukaki Marae was no longer in the flight path. This meant that the Hapu could look at rebuilding their Marae. This dream was realised in 2004 when Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu opened the present Marae.
Wheoi anō, porowhiua, tūpeke.