Tikitiki

According to Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand "Tikitiki’s jewel" is St. Mary's church. It is non-denominational but has historic links to the Anglican Church and is therefore essentially Anglican. It was built from 1924 to 1926 under the guidance of Sir Āpirana Ngata to remember the Ngāti Porou soldiers who fought and died in World War I and to commemorate the establishment of Christianity in Waiapu Valley and the East Coast.{{cite web |url=http://www.historic.org.nz/TheRegister/RegisterSearch/RegisterResults.aspx?RID=3306 |title=St Mary's Church (Anglican) |first=Martin |last=Jones |date=2 February 2002 |work=Rarangi Taonga: the Register of Historic Places, Historic Areas, Wahi Tapu and Wahi Tapu Areas |publisher=New Zealand Historic Places Trust Pouhere Taonga |location=Wellington, New Zealand |access-date=7 May 2012}} The church, which integrates Māori architecture into its design, contains references to the fallen soldiers within its extensive carvings, tukutuku, and stained glass windows.

Above and behind the church is a hill containing the remains of a fortified pā called Pukemaire.{{cite book |last1=Jones |first1=Kevin L.|title=Ngā Tohuwhenua Mai Te Rangi: A New Zealand Archeology in Aerial Photographs |url=https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-JonTohu.html |access-date=7 May 2012 |year=1994 |publisher=Victoria University Press |location=Wellington, New Zealand |isbn=978-0-86473-268-2 |oclc=33848905 |page=36 |chapter=Landforms and Māori settlement |chapter-url=https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-JonTohu-t1-body1-d4-d1-d2.html}} The pā dates back to pre-European times, and by 1865 was occupied by followers of the syncretic Christian Māori religion, Pai Mārire. That year, as part of the New Zealand Wars, the pā was attacked by both colonial forces and Ngāti Porou forces loyal to the New Zealand Government (called kūpapa). This was one of the last confrontations between Pai Mārire and Ngāti Porou. While the majority of the area inside the pā's defensive perimeter has been ploughed many times, the eastern end behind St Mary's Church has been left intact, where the remains of kūmara storage pits can be seen.

The Tikitiki area has five marae belonging to Ngāti Porou hapū.

Kaiwaka Marae and Te Kapenga meeting house is a meeting place of Ngāti Putaanga and Te Whānau a Hinerupe.{{cite web|title=Te Kāhui Māngai directory|url= http://www.tkm.govt.nz/ |website=tkm.govt.nz|publisher=Te Puni Kōkiri}}{{cite web |title=Māori Maps |url=https://maorimaps.com/map |website=maorimaps.com |publisher=Te Potiki National Trust}} In October 2020, the Government committed $5,756,639 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade the marae and 28 others in the Gisborne District; the funding was expected to create 205 jobs.{{cite web |title=Marae Announcements |url=https://www.growregions.govt.nz/assets/funding-announcements/marae-announcements.xlsx |website=growregions.govt.nz |publisher=Provincial Growth Fund |format=Excel |date=9 October 2020}}

Rahui Marae and Rongomaianiwaniwa meeting house is a meeting place of Te Whānau a Hinerupe and Te Whānau a Rākaimataura. Tinātoka Marae and Te Poho o Tinatoka meeting house is a meeting place of Te Whānau a Te Uruahi and Te Whanau a Tinatoka. In October 2020, the Government committed $1,686,254 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade Rahui Marae, Tinātoka Marae and 4 other Rongowhakaata marae, creating an estimated 41 jobs.

Putaanga Marae and meeting house is a meeting place of Ngāti Putaanga.

Taumata o Tapuhi Marae and Te Ao Kairau meeting house, a meeting place of Te Whānau a Tapuhi.

The Rangitukia area also has three marae.

Tikitiki has a co-educational full primary school called Tikitiki School or Pae-O-Te-Riri School.{{cite web |title=Tikitiki School Education Review Office Report |url=http://www.ero.govt.nz/report-view?id=2703 |website=ero.govt.nz |publisher=Education Review Office}} The name Pae-O-Te-Riri means "Resting place of a war party on the march".{{cite web |url=http://www.tiki.school.nz/about_us.htm |title=About Us |work=Tikitiki School Website |publisher=Tikitiki School |location=Tikitiki, New Zealand |access-date=7 May 2012}}

The school was opened in 1887 as a Māori school, and originally had approximately 300 students. This number has dropped substantially, and in May 2012, the school roll stood at 27 students.{{cite web |url=http://www.tki.org.nz/Schools?school_number=2703&schoolSearch=true&Search=Search |title=Schools search results: Tikitiki School |year=2012 |work=Te Kete Ipurangi |publisher=Ministry of Education |location=Wellington, New Zealand |access-date=7 May 2012}} In 2019, it was a decile 1 school with a roll of 35.{{cite web |title=Ministry of Education School Profile |url=https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/profile?district=28®ion=5&school=2703 |website=educationcounts.govt.nz |publisher=Ministry of Education}}

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/east-coast-places/2 Waiapu River valley] article, with a section about Tikitiki, in Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand
• [http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/east-coast-places/2/2/1 Photos of St Mary’s church] in Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand
• [http://www.historic.org.nz/TheRegister/RegisterSearch/RegisterResults.aspx?RID=3306 St Mary’s church] in the Heritage New Zealand register
• [https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/JonTohu-fig-JonTohu036a.html Aerial photograph of Pukemarie Pā] published in 1994
• [http://www.tiki.school.nz/ Tikitiki School website]

{{Gisborne District}}

Category:Populated places in the Gisborne District