WARWICK SMITH/STUFF
Rangitāne descendants Wiremu Kingi Te Awe Awe, Peter Te Rangi and Warren Warbrick on what Te Motu o Poutoa means to Rangitāne.
Everyone knows Pork Chop Hill, it’s as Palmy as you can get, with a trip up to its peak almost a rite of passage for locals. But not so many are aware of its significance to Māori – its 500-year history as a fortified pā, named after Poutoa, the Rangitāne chief who founded it for his people. Maxine Jacobs reports. Te Motu o Poutoa, the Island of Poutoa, is the most sacred yet almost forgotten pā in Palmerston North.