Tōrere, also written Torere, is a small coastal settlement in the Ōpōtiki District of the Bay of Plenty Region on New Zealand's North Island.[1] It is about 20 km (12 mi) by road north-east of the town of Ōpōtiki. Neighburing localities include Opape to the south-west and Hāwai to the north-east. Tōrere is the ancestral home of the Ngāitai people.[2]

History

Tōrere was one of the earliest places visited by the Tainui migratory waka. Traditional histories tell of Tōrere-nui-ā-rua, eldest daughter of Hoturoa, disembarking from the waka to get away from the advances of a man on the canoe. While ashore, Tōrere wed a local rangatira, Manaakiao. Their descendants became known as the Ngāitai people, and the area was named after Tōrere-nui-ā-rua.[3]

The bodies of two girls washed ashore at Torere in 1900. They were among 16 children and two adults who had drowned while crossing the Mōtū River days earlier.[4]

The body of a 54-year-old woman washed ashore at Torere in 2017.[5]

A hui, held in Torere in August 2018, found locals were opposed to a national Māori Battalion Museum being established at Waitangi to commemorate local men who served or died during World War II.[6]

Marae

Tōrere has a marae. It includes the Holy Trinity Memorial Church, a 1950s church decorated with carved pillars, tukutuku panels and stained-glass windows.[7] Its World War II Roll of Honour includes the names of almost 40 local men who served in the Māori Battalion, including eight killed in action.[8]

Education

Te Kura o Torere is a co-educational Māori immersion primary school,[9] with a roll of 15 as of April 2023.[10][11] It was established on 27 February 1878 as a Māori school with fifteen pupils. It functioned as a post office, telephone exchange and birth, death and marriage registry during the early 19th century. It became a general school in 1969, then a Māori immersion school in 2001.[12] It features a carved gateway.[7]

Economy

One of the area's largest businesses is Torere Macadamias,[13] an organic macadamia farm established on land not suited to other forms of agriculture.[14] The farm featured on Country Calendar in 2017.[15] Macadamia research from the farm has been presented at the University of Hawaii.[16] The farm is a major global producer of macadamias and related products.[17]

References

  1. ↑ Hariss, Gavin. "Torere, Bay of Plenty". topomap.co.nz. NZ Topo Map.
  2. ↑ "Ngaitai Iwi Authority Deed of Mandate - Te Puni Kokiri" (PDF). tpk.govt.nz. Ngatai Iwi Authority. 2 October 2013.
  3. ↑ Green, Nathew (2011). "From Hawaīki to Howick – A Ngāi Tai History". Grey's Folly: A History of Howick, Pakuranga, Bucklands-Eastern Beaches, East Tamaki, Whitford, Beachlands and Maraetai. By La Roche, Alan. Auckland: Tui Vale Productions. pp. 16–33. ISBN 978-0-473-18547-3. OCLC 1135039710.
  4. ↑ Johnson, Martin (5 August 2018). "Memory of children's deaths in Bay of Plenty's flooded Motu River kept alive by tribe". New Zealand Media and Entertainment. New Zealand Herald.
  5. ↑ Maitland, Te Ahua. "Woman washed up on beach identified". stuff.co.nz.
  6. ↑ "Strong objections to battalion museum". Gisborne Herald. 12 February 2019.
  7. 1 2 Eagles, Jim (26 October 2011). "Carvings celebrate the history of New Zealand's East Cape". New Zealand Herald.
  8. ↑ "WW2 Roll of Honour, Torere". 28maoribattalion.org.nz. New Zealand Government.
  9. ↑ "Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
  10. ↑ "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  11. ↑ "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
  12. ↑ "Torere School". archives.govt.nz. Archives New Zealand.
  13. ↑ Tait-Jamieson, Anna. "Maori macadamia industry tough nut to crack". Lifestyle Magazine Group. NZ Life and Leisure Magazine.
  14. ↑ Rishworth, Sophie (19 November 2017). "Realising a dream of macadamias". Gisborne Herald.
  15. ↑ "Torere Macadamia Orchard features on Country Calendar". Gisborne Herald. 26 July 2017.
  16. ↑ "The Unique Story of How Macadamias Flourished Here". tairawhitigisborne.co.nz. Activate Tairāwhiti. As the only macadamia variety researcher in New Zealand, Vanessa was invited to attend an International Research symposium in Hawai'i this September 2017; limited to 100 top researchers and scientists from around the world.
  17. ↑ "Sales of Macadamia Butter Market to Record Stellar Growth During the Forecast Period 2018 – 2028". Best Market Herald. 19 June 2019.

37°56′59″S 177°29′23″E / 37.949798°S 177.489642°E / -37.949798; 177.489642

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