Ngati Ruanui in southern Taranaki celebrates one of its oldest pa on Wednesday and the tupuna who created it.
Waatea News reports a monument will be unveiled to Tutange Waionui, who started the pa 115 years ago, as a way to rebuild a Ngati Ruanui presence in south Taranaki after three decades of war, land confiscation and exile.
Pariroa marae spokesperson Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says Waionui was credited for killing Austrian mercenary Gustav von Tempsky at the battle of Te Ngutu o te Manu.
She told Waatea News his diplomatic and political activities laid the foundation for the tribe's survival after he returned from imprisonment in the South Island.
Guests at Pariroa marae include Prime Minister John Key and Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia.
