Te Tai Rāwhiti descendants of Waipiro Bay have named one of the world’s rarest whale species, Te Naiti o Pūrēhua, marking a significant milestone for both the hapū and the scientific community.
The hakurā, or spade-toothed whale (Mesoplodon traversii), washed ashore in December 2017 and is considered one of the least understood mammals on Earth.
The species has never been observed alive, and fewer than ten specimens have been recorded globally, with the vast majority of discoveries linked to Aotearoa.
The first known specimen was recorded in 1872 from Pitt Island, followed by remains found near Whakaari/White Island in the mid-20th century and again in 1986.
Misidentified species
These specimens were initially misidentified as another beaked whale species before advances in DNA testing in 2002 confirmed they were the same unique species, reinstating the original classification.
Further strandings, including one at Ōpape in 2010 and a detailed analysis of external features in 2012, have gradually built a scientific understanding of the species.
For Te Whānau a Iritekura, the naming reflects an ongoing connection to the taonga that came to rest on their whenua.
“Tino whakahirahira te kaupapa o tēnei rā, te whakaingoatanga o tēnei tohorā, tēnei taonga, tēnei tipua i tae mai ki te ākau o Waipiro i Pūrēhua o Te Tai Rāwhiti… kāore te ao i tino mōhio he aha tēnei tohorā nō te mea kāore e kite i te ao,” Pearl Beattie says.
The whale was buried after it washed ashore in 2017 and later exhumed in 2022. Testing subsequently confirmed it as the first complete adult specimen ever recorded, and the first adult male identified.
“Nō reira, mai i taua wā, ka mahi ngā kaipūtaiao ētahi whakamātautau… nā reira, mai i tērā ka mōhio, he tino taonga tēnei tohorā o te ao whānui.”
Beattie says research has clarified the whale’s status as a specimen of international importance. Members of the hapū travelled to Te Papa Tongarewa this week, many of them taiohi, where a pōwhiri was held at Te Papa’s marae, Rongomaraeroa.
The whale was formally named Te Naiti o Pūrēhua in honour of the late Ngāti Porou kaumātua, Koro Elder Te Reo.
“E tika ana, nō te mea ka mokemoke tātou i tō tātou pakeke… ka ngau tonu te mamae i tōna ngarohanga… i runga i tērā ka tohua te ingoa rā, te Naiti, the knight in shining armour, o Pūrēhua. Ko Pūrēhua te ingoa tūturu mō te ākau o Waipiro,” she said.
Beattie also noted the environmental context of the stranding, suggesting that the presence of a deep-diving species so close to shore raises questions about the health of the ocean.
“Ko te tohu nui o tēnei tohorā… kia whakatika ō tātou mahi ki te taiao… tērā pea kei te mahana i te wai nā mātou ngā tāngata e mahi tūkino nei.”
Te Papa Tongarewa Kaihautū, Arapata Hakiwai, says the partnership with mana whenua will guide how the taonga is cared for and studied.
“Ki a au nei he mea nui tēnei… tēnei mahi ngātahi, tēnei hononga i te mea he taonga nui.”
He says collaboration between the iwi and the museum will support both scientific research and the inclusion of mātauranga Māori.
“Nō reira mai i tēnei wā… ka mahi tahi mātou me te whānau nei i ngā mātauranga e pā ana ki tēnei taonga.”
Hakiwai says the research will contribute to a broader understanding of the species while aligning with the aspirations of the iwi and hapū.
He also highlighted the presence of rangatahi at the pōwhiri as a vital part of the kaupapa.
“Ko rātou ngā rangatira āpōpō… he mea nui tēnei kia kite nei ngā tamariki, kia mōhio ai rātou he aha te herenga o tēnei kaupapa.”
For scientists, the whale represents a rare opportunity to study a species that is seldom encountered.
“We have never seen the species in the wild… There have only been seven strandings and six of them were here in Aotearoa,” says Felix Marx, Te Papa’s curator of fossils and marine mammals.
Marx notes that the rarity of the species—including a recent specimen found in Otago in 2024—makes each discovery crucial for building a clearer picture of how these elusive whales live.
