Tūranganui-a-Kiwa Poverty Bay is the largest of several bays around the East Cape region. It is 10 km wide, from Young Nick's Head (Te Kuri) to the southwest to Tuaheni Point to the northeast. Gisborne is at the north end of the bay. Despite its European name, Poverty Bay is one of the more fertile areas of New Zealand. Grapes and associated winemaking are a feature of the area, as is a wide range of fruits and vegetables.
The bay has a beautiful crescent-shaped sandy surf beach. Immediately in front of Gisborne, the north end is protected by the breakwater for the small port in the Tūranganui River mouth. Centennial Marine Drive runs most of the length of the beach to the Waipaoa River mouth to the south, providing easy access.
Local Māori have various stories about the first arrivals in the bay. In particular, three ocean-going waka, Te Ikaroa-a-Rauru, Horouta, and Tākitimu, arrived first. But it was Kiwa, the priest on Tākitimu, for whom the bay was named Tūranganui-a-Kiwa, meaning the "great standing place of Kiwa." The first landing was officially recognised in the official double naming of the bay as Tūranganui-a-Kiwa Poverty Bay in 2019.
Several iwi descended from the migrants, and there is evidence of pā around the bay in the late 1300s. By Cook’s arrival, Māori occupied the wider East Cape.
Captain James Cook landed in NZ on 8 October 1769 at the bay's north end, at Kaiti Beach, after the ship's boy, Nick, sighted the point named for him. The landing did not go well, with some conflict with the locals resulting in several Māori deaths. Hence, Poverty Bay contrasts with the Bay of Plenty, which Cook favoured. Cook and his crew interacted better with Māori at Tolaga Bay and Anaura Bay to the north.
During the 19th century, whaling stations operated in the bay with iwi support. Trade was strong, but unfortunately, local Maori were seriously impacted by the Ngāpui invasion during the Musket Wars.
European settlement began in the early 1830s with the establishment of trading stations. In 1840, CMS missionary William Williams arrived, and many Māori converted to Christianity. In May 1840, 24 chiefs from the Tūranga district signed the Treaty of Waitangi, leading to systematic European settlement.
In the 1860s, the NZ Wars overflowed from the Waikato. The anti-settlement Pai Mārire (Hauhau) religious movement spread, leading to conflict within Ngāti Porou. The worst incident was in 1868, after Te Kooti and his followers escaped to Poverty Bay from captivity. They eventually attacked the small town of Matawhero near Tūranga. Firty-four people were murdered, both local Māori and European settlers. Te Kooti evaded capture for 15 years and was eventually pardoned in 1883.
In 1870, Tūranga became Gisborne, and the town quickly expanded. Initially, it was largely European, but today, over half the population is Māori. From the 1890s onwards, Ngati Porou leader Āpirana Ngata rose to prominence. He helped revitalise Māori commercial and cultural activity. Ngata was also the “father of the Māori Battalion”, which was important in restoring Māori mana during the 1900s.
Today, Gisborne is the centre for visiting this otherwise quite remote region. State Highway 2 links it to Whakatāne, Bay of Plenty, to the northwest, and Napier to the south. State Highway 35 goes north around East Cape.
