Nohorua

A high-ranking Ngāti Toa rangatira (chief), tohunga (expert practitioner), and elder half-brother of the famous chief Te Rauparaha, Nohorua was a significant leader in the Cook Strait region during the early period of European contact. He is of particular importance to Marlborough's history as a key signatory to the Treaty of Waitangi. In June 1840, he signed the Treaty aboard a ship off Horahora-kākahu Island in Port Underwood, a pivotal moment in the establishment of Crown authority in the South Island.

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A Ngāti Toa Leader

Born in Kāwhia in the late 18th century, Nohorua was a senior leader of Ngāti Toa and took part in the iwi's great migration south from Kāwhia to the Kapiti Coast and Cook Strait in the 1820s. As a tohunga, he possessed deep knowledge of tribal lore, history, and spiritual matters. While his younger brother Te Rauparaha was renowned as a military strategist, Nohorua's authority was rooted in his seniority and wisdom. After the migration, he established his base in the Marlborough Sounds, residing at Te Awaiti in Tory Channel and other locations, where he held sway over the local area.

Signing the Treaty

In mid-1840, the missionary Henry Williams arrived in the Marlborough Sounds aboard the schooner *Ariel*, seeking signatures for the Treaty of Waitangi. Te Rauparaha had already signed at Kapiti. Williams met with Nohorua at Horahora-kākahu Island on 19 June 1840. Nohorua, who was by then an old man and nearly blind, engaged in a long discussion about the Treaty's implications.

Initially hesitant, Nohorua was eventually persuaded to sign, reportedly stating, "Let the sun look upon the signature, and the moon also." His signature, representing the senior Ngāti Toa leadership in the South Island, was of immense importance to the Crown.

This act, along with the other signatures gathered in the Sounds, was seen by the British as cementing their claim to sovereignty over the South Island. For Nohorua and other chiefs, the understanding of what they were ceding was likely very different, focused more on partnership and protection than a complete transfer of authority.

Later Life and Legacy

Nohorua continued to live in the Sounds after signing the Treaty. He witnessed the growing influx of European settlers and whalers, and the profound changes they brought to the region. He was involved in the early land sales, the complexities of which would lead to future conflict. Nohorua passed away in the mid-1840s, just before the outbreak of major conflicts in the Wellington region. His legacy is complex; he was a leader of the old world navigating the dawn of a new one. His signature on the Treaty at Port Underwood remains a foundational moment in the history of Marlborough, representing the formal engagement between local iwi and the British Crown.