Protecting Te Waikoropupū Springs' purity holds deep spiritual significance to iwi

Tuesday, 27 March 2018

To most visitors Golden Bay's Te Waikoropupū Springs is just startlingly pure water. Some of the clearest measured in the world.

But to the iwi that guard the springs, Ngāti Tama ki Te Waipounamu, they are sacred, and the health of its crystal clear waters central to their spiritual and cultural wellbeing. 

Generations of families have used the springs' sacred waters for cleansing and spiritual healing.

Protecting it is more than just keeping it pure. It's a responsibility passed down to them through the generations that came before, mingling in a space between past and present. 

The submerged garden of eden is alive and bubbling, its crystal waters erupting from a mysterious underground maze of interconnected tunnels and gravels where rainwater flows.

**READ MORE:

* [Te Waikoropupū Springs flow highly modified, says TDC 

*](https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/102485785/te-waikoropup-springs-flow-highly-modified-says-tdc-in-water-conservation-order-application-submission) Submissions open for Te Waikoropupū Springs Water Conservation Order

* Environment Minister accepts application to protect Te Waikoropupū Springs

* Judge orders rethink for springs bottled water plan extension**

On the surface, a diverse array of plants and animals form a luxuriant, rumpled carpet on the stony bottom, and large aquatic plants sway against the endless bubbles and blue-green backdrop.

Te Waikoropupū is considered a highly sacred place to Māori, in particular the relationship between the springs and the aquifer that feeds them. This, in turn, is utterly dependent on the quality and health of the water.

Ngāti Tama are joint applicants in an unprecedented Water Conservation Order to give Te Waikoropupū Springs the highest form of national protection, including the aquifer that feeds them and its associated water bodies. 

A Special Tribunal will be considering the application, with a hearing scheduled at Takaka, starting on April 17.

In its application to the Minister for the Environment, the iwi writes about how truly 'fundamental' the springs' health is to the continuity of its tribal traditions.

It had 'continuously maintained' the role of kaitiaki, or guardians, over the land and the springs since pre-1840s.

Ngati Tama descend from Māori chiefs, who took on the role of guardians through conquest and intermarriage. Kaitiaki is considered a deep responsibility and a custom.

Central to the role is the belief that spiritual and physical survival of all living things is dependent on the maintenance of the mauri, or life force, of the springs.  

Māori legend tells of the taniwha Huriawa who resides in the underground streams of the springs. She works her way through the lands of Golden Bay, travelling in the waters that flow through the domains of  Hine-tu-ahoanga, the sandstone lady, to free the flow of water.

Originally, this taniwha was buried on Parapara Peak, but was called forth to guard the springs. Now her resting place, Huriawa resides within the numerous sandstone caves and underground streams.

'The waters of Te Waikoropupū represent the lifeblood of Papatūānuku [earth] and the tears of Ranginui [sky], symbolising the link between past and present,' the application said. 

It is considered a source of wai, an essential element of life. Wai 'transcends life itself' as it sustains the physical and spiritual wellbeing of all things. 

The application includes The Deed of Settlement between Ngāti Tama and the Crown, signed in 2013. The deed acknowledges the cultural, spiritual, historic and traditional interest in Te Waikoropupū and the Takaka River and its tributaries. 

It also states that the iwi must be portrayed accurately in all government education and information materials, and most importantly, where there are significant earthworks and/or disturbances of soil and/or vegetation, and they must be consulted and particular regard will be paid to their views.

_**Waikoropupū, Waikoropupū

Pupū ake te whenua

Pupū ake ko ngā waiora

Waikoropupū Ngā puna wai o

Takaka Ngā puna roimata wairua

Waikoropupū, Waikoropupū**_

_**Bubbling waters from the throat of the spring

Bubbling waters from the throat of the spring

Forever bubbling from the land

Forever bubbling for the health of the people and the spring waters

The spring waters of Takaka

The tears of the spirit ancestors,

Water bubbling from the throat of the spring

Waters bubbling from the throat of the spring**_