Cultural Significance

Okahupokia Pa was nominated as a site of cultural significance by Te Runanga o Ngati Hauiti during consultation with the NZHPT as part of the Central Region Pilot Project. Okahupokia Pa was one of the principal 'living places' of the Ngati Hauiti tupuna, Hauiti, and was described in the Maori Land Court evidence of Utiku Potaka, Rakera Hunia and Hana Hinemanu during the 1894 hearing of the Otamakapua No. 1 Block. Okahupokia Pa and nearby sites such as Omanono pa and Korihirau pa (see Appendix 3) are of cultural and traditional importance as they signify the presence of Ngati Hauiti occupation throughout this landscape from prehistory to the current day.

Historic Significance

Historical Significance or Value Okahupokia Pa is historically significant as it was one of the main occupation sites of Hauiti, the eponymous ancestor of Ngati Hauiti who was integral to the Maori Land Court evidence of Utiku Potaka and his fellow claimants during hearings for the Otamakapua No. 1 Block. These claimants were applying for the title of the Otamakapua No. 1 Block "on the basis of ancestry - through the tupuna Hauiti - and permanent undisturbed occupation".

Physical Significance

Okahupokia Pa is archaeologically significant as it is an outstanding example of the use of natural defences in the construction of a pa. It is also an excellent example of the strategic positioning of pa so as to provide outstanding vantage points and close access to economic resources such as those that would have been provided by the Rangitikei River.

Detail Of Assessed Criteria

(c) The potential of the place to provide knowledge of New Zealand history. Although excavation is not recommended because of its destructive nature, there is potential for an archaeological investigation of Okahupokia Pa to reveal important information about prehistoric Maori settlement within the Rangitikei region, and to provide a date of occupation for the pa itself. (d) The importance of the place to tangata whenua Okahupokia Pa is a culturally significant site to Ngati Hauiti, who have occupied the Rangitikei region for many generations. It is a physical link to their ancestral past and they are keen to see it preserved for future generations. (g) 'The technical accomplishment or value, or design of the place Okahupokia Pa was strategically designed by the ancestors of Ngati Hauiti so as to take advantage of the natural defences provided by this ridge high above the Rangitikei River. Artificial defences were only necessary at the western end of the pa, where the remains of the double ditch and bank are visible today. The location of Okahupokia Pa would also have been chosen because of the commanding views that it provides of the surrounding landscape. (i) The importance of identifying historic places known to date from early periods of New Zealand settlement. Okahupokia Pa is likely to postdate 1500AD when pa construction is believed to have first begun but a more specific date would require scientific archaeological dating. A genealogical table reproduced in T.W. Downes' (1909) 'Early history of Rangitikei, and notes on the Ngati Apa tribe' (see Appendix 5) provides a potential insight into the possible antiquity of Okahupokia pa, but the incorporation of traditional Maori history into archaeological inquiry must be treated with caution and the accuracy of Downes' work is questionable.