1980 was a busy year for the City
of Rotorua.
It was the year that the city
chose to celebrate its founding on 25 November 1880. The year-long centennial
celebration kicked off in style in November 1979 when the Morrison Quartet
briefly reunited for a special concert at the Rotorua Civic Theatre. Rotorua
District Council, local businesses and community groups sponsored and organised
conferences, rallies, sporting events and cultural events. A logo was designed
and used throughout the year on shirts, books, banners and rubbish bags.
Special medallions were minted and a stamp launched. Celebrations reached its climax in November 1980, with three
major events which included a massive float parade that showcased the evolution
of Rotorua; its environment, its people and various industries. Following this,
three great waka landed in Ōhinemutu and were greeted by a 200 strong haka as
well as hundreds of onlookers in the crowd. The year of celebration
culminated with a re-enactment of the signing of the Rotorua Township Agreement,
often called the Fenton Agreement. (Stafford, 1988, p. 390-391).
Chief Judge Francis Dart Fenton
(or Penetana as he was known by Māori) of the Native Land Court is usually credited with establishing
Rotorua township, however this was of course
accomplished hand in hand with iwi. Fenton originally discussed the
proposal with local iwi in 1877 and by direction of the Government he returned for detailed negotiations in 1880. From
the Crown’s point of view, there were two main objectives behind the
establishment of a township at Rotorua: preserve access to the natural thermal
wonders of the district and to halt problems and arguments regarding land.
 |
Francis Dart Fenton. Ref: PAColl-7489-01. Alexander Turnbull Library,
Wellington, New Zealand. /records/22424556 |
The proposed township would also
have the added benefit of opening up the area to further settlement and
improving accommodation, supplies and transport to the burgeoning tourist trade.
Up until this time this was reliant upon a haphazard collection of European
style hotels and shops that had developed in and around the old Ngāti Whakaue
settlement of Ōhinemutu.
In late
November 1880, negotiations were held over a number of days with Ngāti Whakaue,
Ngāti Rangiwewehi and Ngāti Uenukukopako, ultimately culminating in the
signing of the agreement document at Ōhinemutu on 25 November 1880 between 47
persons of the three iwi and Chief Judge Fenton on behalf of the Crown. Not all iwi were happy with this development being led by the
three iwi, including Tūhourangi who claimed interests in the area proposed for
the township.
 |
Group of men, possibly at a Land Court meeting, inside Tamatekapua meeting house at Ohinemutu.
Ref: 1/2-043266-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/22557733 |
For the Māori owners, the proposed township would see an increase in
visitors into the area, and a major source of income, without the need to permanently sell land. As iwi at the time refused
to sell land in the Lakes District to anyone, including the Crown, it
was instead agreed that the Crown would lease lots in the township out to the
public for 99 years on behalf of the owners. The agreement was split into 16
clauses which set out the area for the township, how ownership would be
determined, reserves that were gifted by the owners to the Crown for both
races, survey costs, rates and composition of the town board.
Up until
the Agreement, iwi had refused to allow the Native Land Court sit in the
district knowing that to do so would likely result in the eventual loss of land
through sale. However Fenton convinced iwi that for the township scheme to be successful
the Court would need to decide the ownership of the township land. Following a
protracted Court hearing, the Native Land Court awarded the majority of
the town block, taking in the area between the Utuhina and Puarenga Streams
from the lake front to Tihiotonga and called Pukeroa-Oruawhata, to Ngāti
Whakaue with a section of the block called Tarewa being awarded to Ngāti Tuara
and Ngāti Kearoa. This award had a number of
consequences. It excluded Ngāti Rangiwewehi and
Ngāti Uenukukopako from participating further in the township scheme and it saw
iwi resistance to the Native Land Court in the Lakes District erode as a
cascade of land claims to other land blocks were received by the Court.
While the township scheme was
widely publicised, and initially successful in attracting leasees, the delay in
the establishment of the promised railway, a national economic downturn, the
Tarawera eruption in 1886 and a string of defaulting leasees all contributed to
an enormous loss in expected revenue.
Starting in 1889, the Crown
sought to purchase shares from owners in the block. The
Crown and the Ngāti Whakaue were co-owners in the Pukeroa-Oruawhata Block at
the time. The alienation of the block from the last few owners, and
vesting of the township block (Pukeroa-Oruawhata Block) in the Crown, was
completed through the compulsorily acquirement of shares via the Thermal
Springs Act of 1910. The Crown later sold these interests between 1930 and
1950, opening up the township lands to private ownership. Over the next few
decades, Over the next few decades, Ngāti Whakaue sought
answers from the Crown over the failure of the township scheme and care of the
gifted reserves (Rose, 2004).
Meanwhile
the Agreement had established the first governing body of the Rotorua Township,
being the Rotorua Town Board, which was originally made up of the local Doctor,
resident magistrate and a Ngāti Whakaue representative, all appointed by
Central Government.
The
Rotorua Town Board first meet in April 1883 however besides the administration
of certain government services and hotel license fees, the Board was restricted
on what it could do and achieve. Hamuera Pango, who died in 1893, was the last Ngāti
Whakaue representative on the board.
 |
| Source: The Founding Years in Rotorua by D.M.Stafford |
The
Rotorua Town Council Act was passed in 1900 which altered the constitution of
the Rotorua Town Board so that it became a Council with a membership of seven;
three locally elected representatives with the other four being appointed by
Central Government.
The Town
Board was disestablished in 1907 at which point the Tourist Department took
over the administration of the township. The Rotorua Borough Council was
established by the Rotorua Town Lands Act 1920, and the first election was
undertaken in 1923 although Central Government would still appoint two of the
seven positions. In fact, it would not be until 1950 that a mayor and Council
would take office without Central Government appointees.
The
Rotorua Borough Council became the Rotorua City Council upon Rotorua achieving
City status in 1962. The Rotorua City Council and the Rotorua County Council
amalgamated in 1979 to form the Rotorua District Council.
In late November 1980, Ngāti Whakaue hosted all
of Rotorua and Te Arawa at Te Papaiouru Marae for the re-enactment of the Fenton Agreement
signing. 400 members of Te Arawa gathered on the steps of Tamatekapua Meeting
House, they sung and chanted as Judge Fenton (Played by Mervyn Julian) and his interpreter (played by Sam Gardiner), emerged from St Faiths Church dressed in period costume. They crossed over to a
table set up in front of Tamatekapua where the descendants of the original land
owners again placed their signatures. As was befitting such an occasion,
amongst the many official guests in attendance was Tennant Fenton, grandson of
Chief Judge Fenton.
 |
Rotorua Centennial Celebrations. 1980. Photograph by Jack Lang (1915 – 1986).
Rotorua Museum Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa (CP-2868) |
It is interesting to remember that
our city’s foundation was built upon a unique relationship between the
Crown and local tāngata whenua. The Rotorua Township
Agreement should be remembered as being an integral part of our shared,
communal history as a city, an example of great generosity by iwi and a forward
thinking willingness to work together. Rotorua’s 130 year anniversary passed
quietly and largely unnoticed, with Rotorua perhaps still mourning the loss of
local historian Don Stafford.
Let us hope then that Rotorua 2020 is a little different, that we will choose to remember, discuss, debate, commiserate, celebrate and reflect on
our Cities past 140
years; the good, the bad, and everything in-between.
B T Manley
Pūkenga Rangahau, Rotorua Lakes Council
References
Rose, K. (2004). The Fenton Agreement and Land Alienation in the Rotorua District in the Nineteenth Century. Wellington: Crown Forestry Rental Trust.
Stafford, Donald Murray. (1988). The New Century in Rotorua. Rotorua: Rotorua District Council.
