Irish and British Diplomats Honoured at Katikati Marae Ahead of 150th Anniversary

On 19 June, local hapū Ngāi Tamawhariua welcomed two diplomatic representatives onto Te Rereatukahia Marae in Katikati for an invite-only pōwhiri marking the lead-up to the 150th anniversary of Ulster Irish settlers arriving in the area. Paul O'Hara, deputy head of mission at the Embassy of Ireland, and John Pearson, deputy high commissioner of the British High Commission, joined community leaders, Western Bay Mayor James Denyer, and district councillors for the occasion.

The gathering, held during Matariki, was used to bring the kōrero tuku iho – ancestral history – of the tangata whenua to a wider audience. On 16 September 1875, the first Ulster Irish settlers arrived in what is now Katikati, forging a relationship with local Māori from the very beginning. Marae chairman Hone Winder-Murray said drawing parallels between te ao Māori and the Northern Irish experience was "incredibly worthy of note", and that Matariki was an apt time to celebrate both differences and connections.

In his address, O'Hara acknowledged that the histories of both peoples involved migration, colonisation, and hope, and that many Ulster settlers would have left a land marked by hardship and religious division. He quoted the Irish whakataukī 'Ní neart go cur le Chéile' – there is no strength without unity – and called on those present to reflect honestly and humbly on all aspects of shared history. After the formalities, manuhiri and whānau shared kai in the wharekai, and four Katikati residents spoke to their personal connections with both the town and the hapū.

Originally published in Katikati News (Sun Media).