Omahu is a village in the
Hastings District and
Hawke's Bay Region of New Zealand's
North Island
The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...
.
The New Zealand
Ministry for Culture and Heritage
The Ministry for Culture and Heritage (MCH; ) is the department of the New Zealand Government responsible for supporting the arts, culture, built heritage, sport and recreation, and broadcasting sectors in New Zealand and advising government on ...
gives a translation of "the place where Mahu ran out of food" for ''Ōmahu''.
A missionary site was established at Omahu in the early 19th century.
Marae
The area has two
Ngāti Kahungunu marae. Omāhu Marae is a meeting place for
Ngāi Te Ūpokoiri
Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...
,
Ngāti Hinemanu
Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...
,
Ngāti Honomōkai
Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...
and
Ngāti Mahuika; it includes the Kahukuranui meeting house. Te Āwhina Marae is a meeting place for
Te Ūpokoiri,
Ngāti Hinemanu
Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...
,
Ngāti Mahuika; its meeting house has been demolished.
In October 2020, the Government committed $6,020,910 from the
Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade a group of 18 marae, including Omāhu Marae. The funding was expected to create 39 jobs.
Education
Omahu School is a co-educational state primary school,
with a roll of as of
References
Hastings District
Populated places in the Hawke's Bay Region
{{HawkesBay-geo-stub