For the avoidance of any misunderstanding, when I speak of returning the bones of my ancestor Kupe to Hokianga, I am referring to a spiritual and ancestral return. I am referring to the recital of the ancient Ruruku and the 800 ancestral names, tracing the ancestral continuum from IO through to Kupe. This recital represents the restoration and acknowledgement of the ancient ancestral lineage and the spiritual inheritance carried through that continuum. I am also referring to a dream in which my ancestor Kupe visited me and asked that I return him to Aotearoa. In that dream, Kupe had himself been given a dream by IO, instructing him to carry the IO Priesthood to Aotearoa, namely Te Hokianga Nui ā Kupe. Therefore, when I speak of returning the bones of Kupe to Hokianga, I am speaking of fulfilling this spiritual ancestral return: bringing Kupe home to Hokianga through the restoration of his ancestral names, his spiritual inheritance, his IO Priesthood and the original kaupapa entrusted to him by IO.

This is the spiritual return of Kupe to Hokianga.

It is important that this distinction is clearly understood so that no one mistakenly interprets my reference to returning the bones of Kupe as a statement about physically retrieving or relocating ancestral human remains. I am speaking of the return of Kupe in the spiritual, ancestral and whakapapa sense, to the whenua and waters of Te Hokianga Nui ā Kupe. It is also important to acknowledge the discussions taking place within Hokianga concerning the number of ancestors bearing the name Kupe. I have heard people speak of three, five or ten different Kupe. I have also heard a kaumātua speak of identifying twenty-six Kupe through his own research, including one who was a wahine. I acknowledge that these discussions and research exist and that there are differing accounts of the Kupe ancestral continuum. However, let the record clearly reflect that when I speak of the spiritual return of Kupe to Hokianga, I am not referring exclusively to one individual identified by the name Kupe, nor am I seeking to distinguish one Kupe from another.

THE RETURN OF KUPE TO HOKIANGA IS THE RETURN OF ALL KUPE.

It is an acknowledgement of the wider ancestral continuum, encompassing all those who carry the name, whakapapa, identity and ancestral inheritance of Kupe. Through the recital of the ancient Ruruku and the 800 ancestral names from IO through to Kupe, the intention is to recognise the entirety of that ancestral inheritance and its connection to Aotearoa, Te Hokianga Nui ā Kupe. This is therefore not a question of determining which Kupe has the greater claim to Hokianga. It is about recognising the collective ancestral significance of Kupe and restoring that spiritual connection to the whenua from which the kaupapa of Te Hokianga Nui ā Kupe takes its name. I am speaking of bringing the whole ancestral continuum of Kupe home — not just one Kupe, but ALL Kupe.

MY PERSONAL TESTIMONY AND THE INTERPRETATION OF THIS KAUPAPA

I also want to make it clear that this is my personal testimony, my experience, my dream and my spiritual understanding of the ancestral kaupapa. I am not asking anyone else to present my spiritual experiences as their own, nor am I asking them to affirm something they have not personally experienced or cannot independently confirm. Others are free to communicate my account as my testimony while maintaining their own position, knowledge and integrity.

Accordingly, whenever you read or hear me refer to the return of the bones of Kupe to Hokianga, this is what I mean: the spiritual and ancestral return of Kupe through the ancient Ruruku, the 800 ancestral names from IO to Kupe, the dream and the restoration of the IO Priesthood to Te Hokianga Nui ā Kupe. It encompasses the return of ALL Kupe, not just one individual. This is the understanding I want consistently carried throughout Te Moana Nui ā Hīva, my writings and the books I am preparing. I want the story communicated accurately from my perspective, without confusion or misrepresentation of my intentions.

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF TE WHARE Ō KUPE-ARIKI TRUST

As we complete the establishment of Te Whare Ō Kupe-Ariki Trust, all matters relating to the ancestral, spiritual, whakapapa and kaupapa dimensions of the return of Kupe to Hokianga will be addressed and dealt with accordingly through the Trust. The establishment of the Trust provides the appropriate foundation through which these matters can be formally considered, recorded, protected and progressed in accordance with the kaupapa and responsibilities entrusted to us. Our immediate priority is the establishment of the Trust. Everything else will be addressed accordingly thereafter.

SCOPE AND APPLICATION OF THIS STATEMENT

This statement is provided as a standing clarification of my intended meaning whenever reference is made to the return of the bones of Kupe to Hokianga across these websites, associated documents, proposals, research and future publications. It is intended to address and clarify all references to this kaupapa, so that my personal testimony, spiritual understanding and intention are not mistaken or interpreted outside the context explained herein. This clarification is to be read alongside all relevant references to the return of Kupe.

These three websites are:

• Te Whare Atua Ō IO Tikitikiōrangi — He Whare Atua

• Te Whare Ō Kupe-Ariki — He Whare Ariki

• Te Whatupungapunga Ō Nukutāwhiti — He Whare Wānanga