Whangārei Education Centre

Whangārei is New Zealand’s most northern city and is the entry point to the Bay of Islands, a subtropical region known for its stunning beauty. Whangārei’s Mair Park is home to Mount Parihaka, a place of great historical significance to the iwi of Te Tai Tokerau (Northland). It was an early Māori settlement and developed into a pā (fortressed village). Whangārei is also a one-hour drive from the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, the place where the Treaty of Waitangi (New Zealand’s founding document) was signed in 1840. You will find the Te Rito Maioha Whangārei takiwā located in Te Kamo, a suburb of Whangārei, approximately 5km north-northwest of the CBD.

The oral tradions of Ngāti Kahu-o-Torongare recall Te Kamo as a tupuna who occupied this area and beyond. Having wider tribal connections, he also organised trade with coastal hapū. An alternative kōrero held by some whanau and hapū consider the name Te Kamo to refer to an historic event rather than a person. The name Te Kamo was recorded in 1858 as the name of the block on the original Crown purchase deed, but quickly shortened to Kamo on subsequent maps and survey plans.