Te Aupōuri is the second northernmost

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

iwi 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, ...

(tribal group), located north of

Kaitaia Kaitaia ( mi, Kaitāia) is a town in the Far North District of New Zealand, at the base of the Aupouri Peninsula, about 160 km northwest of Whangārei. It is the last major settlement on New Zealand State Highway 1, State Highway 1. Ahipara ...

, Northland,

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, a region known as the Te Hiku o te Ika. The iwi is one of the six

Muriwhenua Muriwhenua are a group of northern Māori iwi, based in Te Hiku o te Ika, the northernmost part of New Zealand's North Island. It consists of six iwi, Ngāti Kurī, Ngāi Takoto, Te Pātū, Ngāti Kahu, Te Aupōuri and Te Rarawa, with a comb ...

iwi of the far north of the North Island. Te Reo Irirangi o Te Hiku o Te Ika, an iwi radio station, serves Te Aupōuri and other Muriwhenua tribes of the Far North. It broadcasts a main station on , an

urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, hip hop, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban conte ...

station Sunshine FM on and a youth-oriented station Tai FM.

History

The ancestral legend

, ''Te Aupouri'' means "The Dark Smoke" (au = smoke, pōuri = dark). According to legend, the Te Aupōuri came into conflict with

Te Rarawa Te Rarawa is a Māori iwi of Northland, New Zealand. The iwi is one of five Muriwhenua iwi of the far north of the North Island. Rūnanga and marae Te Rarawa has 23 foundation marae: *Korou Kore Marae, ''Ahipara'', represents the hapū of Ng� ...

. The battle between the two eventually caused two other chieftains, Te Ikanui and Wheru, to become besieged in their pā in Pawarenga on Whangape Harbour. To mask their escape, they burnt their possessions and escaped under the cover of the smoke.Te Kooti Whenua Maori This is the iwi's chant:

Muriwhenua links

Te Aupōuri are one of the five iwi of Muriwhenua, also known as Te Hiku o te Ika a Māui, the Far North of Aotearoa. The people of Te Aupōuri share a number of well-known ancestors with wider Muriwhenua including: * Kupe of the Mata-whao-rua canoe and Te Ngaki of the Tāwhiri-rangi canoe; * Nukutawhiti of the Ngā-toki-mata-whao-rua canoe; * Ruanui-a-Tāne of the Māmari canoe and his wife Manawa-a-rangi; * Whakatau of the Mahuhu-ki-te-rangi canoe; * Pō-hurihanga of the Kurahaupō canoe and his wife Maieke; * Tū-moana of the Tinana canoe and his wives Pare-waha-ariki and Kahukura-ariki; * Te Parata of the Māmaru canoe and his wife Kahu-tia-nui; * Tōhē and Te Kura-a-rangi; * Tū-mata-hina and Tangi-rere; * Rāhiri, Āhua-iti and Whakaruru; * Ue-oneone and Rei-tū; * Kai-rewa and Wai-miri-rangi; * Toa-kai, Tū-kotia and Tara-whati; * Hāiti-tai-marangai and Puna; * Tū-whakatere , Tū-te-rangi-a-tohia and Tū-poia; and * Moko-hōrea and Uru-te-kawa. From these ancestors descend two families from which Te Aupōuri as an independent iwi trace their descent: Firstly, the family of Mōre Te Korohunga and Te Awa. The name ‘Te Aupōuri’ came about from an event in the time of Mōre Te Korohunga and Te Awa’s children – Kupe, Whēru, Te Ikanui, Te Kakati and Te Uruhāpainga, and Secondly, the family of Te Ihupango and Te Amongaariki II, who had two daughters – Tihe and Kohine. Te Amongaariki II is especially important to Te Aupōuri being the principal ancestress of the Te Kao lands and the southern Pārengarenga Harbour. The iwi of Te Aupōuri have their primary turangawaewae at Te Kao at the southern end of the Pārengarenga Harbour, with Te Oneroa-a-Tōhē (Ninety Mile Beach) to the west and Tokerau (

Great Exhibition Bay Great Exhibition Bay is a wide embayment close to the northernmost tip of New Zealand's North Island. It lies on the east coast of the Aupouri Peninsula in the Northland Region. The large natural inlet of Parengarenga Harbour lies at the northern ...

) to the east. Te Aupōuri describe the core area in which they have customary rights and associations, of varying types and nature, as running from Ngāpae in the south-west, east to Ngātū and Waipapakauri Stream, north to the mouth of the Rangaunu Harbour, to Motu-puruhi and Te Rākau-tū-hakahaka (Simmonds Islands) and north to Muri-motu (North Cape), west to Te Rerenga Wairua (Cape Reinga), encompassing Oromaki, Manawa-tāwhi, Moe-kawa and Ohau (Three Kings Islands), south to Motu-o-Pao (Cape Maria van Diemen), to Kahokawa (Scotts Point), Matapia, Waka-te-hāua (The Bluff), Hukatere and back to Ngāpae. Te Aupōuri also maintain historical associations to Rangitāhua (Raoul Island in the Kermadec Islands) and south to Waimimiha. Other iwi of Te Hiku o Te Ika also claim customary interests in this area. The people of Te Aupōuri share a number of well known ancestors with the iwi of wider Muriwhenua including: Ruanui-a-Tāne & Manawa-a-rangi; Pō-hurihanga & Maieke; Tū-moana, Pare-waha-ariki & Kahukura-ariki; Te Parata & Kahu-tia-nui; Tōhē & Te Kura-a-rangi; Tū-mata-hina & Tangi-rere; Kai-rewa & Wai-miri-rangi; Toa-kai, Tū-kotia & Tara-whati; Hāiti-tai-marangai & Puna; Tū-whakatere, Tū-te-rangi-a-tohia & Tū-poia and Moko-hōrea & Uru-te-kawa. From these ancestors descend two families from which Te Aupōuri as an independent iwi trace their descent: firstly the family of Mōre Te Korohunga of

Ngāti Ruanui Ngāti Ruanui is a Māori iwi traditionally based in the Taranaki region of New Zealand. In the 2006 census, 7,035 people claimed affiliation to the iwi. However, most members now live outside the traditional areas of the iwi. History Early his ...

and his wife Te Awa of Muriwhenua, who became known as Ngāti Te Awa (the descendants of Te Awa). The name ‘Te Aupōuri’ came about from an event in Pawarenga at the time of Mōre Te Korohunga and Te Awa’s children – Kupe, Whēru, Te Ikanui, Te Kakati and Te Uruhāpainga. One day, following the murder of Kupe, and her brother’s revenge, Ngāti Te Awa were besieged in Makora Pā. Finally, Ngāti Te Awa lit a huge fire covering the Whangapē Harbour with thick dark smoke. They managed to escape north across the harbour in the midst of the dense smoke to their mother’s lands further north. Hence the name Te Aupōuri (au = smoke, pōuri = dark). The second family that Te Aupōuri descend from is that of Te Ihupango and Te Amongaariki II, who had two daughters – Tihe and Kohine. Te Amongaariki II is especially important to Te Aupōuri being the principal ancestress of the

Te Kao Te Kao is a village on the Aupouri Peninsula of Northland, New Zealand. Te Aupōuri are mana whenua (tribe with traditional authority over a territory) over Te Kao and the surrounding district, and it is the principal settlement of the iwi (trib ...

lands and the southern Pārengarenga Harbour. Mōre Te Korohunga & Te Awa’s son, Te Ikanui, married Te Ihupango & Te Amongaariki II’s daughters, Tihe & Kohine. These are the ancestors of the Te Aupōuri people of Te Kao – “Ngā Uri O Te Ikanui”.

Ruanui and the Polynesian rats

According to the traditions of the Aotea,

Horouta In Māori tradition, the canoe ''Horouta'' was one of the great ocean-going canoes in which Polynesians migrated to New Zealand approximately 800 years ago. The story goes that Kahukura, a man from Hawaiki, introduced kūmara (sweet potato), ...

and Māmari ancestral canoes, kiore (

Polynesian rat The Polynesian rat, Pacific rat or little rat (''Rattus exulans''), known to the Māori as ''kiore'', is the third most widespread species of rat in the world behind the brown rat and black rat. The Polynesian rat originated in Southeast Asia, ...

s) were passengers on their voyages from

Hawaiki In Polynesian mythology, (also rendered as in Cook Islands Māori, in Samoan, in Tahitian, in Hawaiian) is the original home of the Polynesians, before dispersal across Polynesia. It also features as the underworld in many Māori stories. ...

to New Zealand. Carvings on a window frame of Te Ōhākī marae at Ahipara depict the story of Ruanui's rat, Ruanui being the captain of the Māmari canoe. On arriving in

Hokianga Harbour The Hokianga is an area surrounding the Hokianga Harbour, also known as the Hokianga River, a long estuarine drowned valley on the west coast in the north of the North Island of New Zealand. The original name, still used by local Māori, is ' ...

, he released his rats onto an island now called Motukiore "rat island".

Notable people

* Makarena Dudley, psychologist, lecturer at the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

and dementia researcher * Sir Kingi Ihaka, Māori bureaucrat *

Hone Harawira Hone Pani Tamati Waka Nene Harawira is a New Zealand Māori activist and former parliamentarian. He was elected to parliament as the member for the Māori electorate of Te Tai Tokerau in 2005 as the Māori Party candidate. In 2011, following ...

, Mana Party leader * Raniera Harrison, Māori broadcaster *

Ralph Hotere Hone Papita Raukura "Ralph" Hotere (11 August 1931 – 24 February 2013) was a New Zealand artist. He was born in Mitimiti, Northland and is widely regarded as one of New Zealand's most important artists. In 1994 he was awarded an honorary d ...

, artist *

Shane Jones Shane Geoffrey Jones (born 3 September 1959) is a New Zealand politician. He served as a New Zealand First list MP from 2017 to 2020 and was previously a Labour list MP from 2005 to 2014. Jones was a cabinet minister in the Fifth Labour Gove ...

, politician *

Stacey Jones Stacey William Jones (born 7 May 1976) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer, who has been named amongst the greatest New Zealand has ever produced. He played as a , but he has also briefly played at during his disting ...

, rugby league player *

Anika Moa Anika Rose Moa (born 21 May 1980) is a New Zealand recording artist and television presenter. Her debut album '' Thinking Room'', was released in September 2001, which reached number one on the New Zealand Albums Chart and provided two T ...

, singer * Tina Cross, singer *

Mitch Evans Mitchell William Evans (born 24 June 1994) is a New Zealand professional racing driver. He currently drives for the Jaguar TCS Racing team in Formula E. In 2012, he won the GP3 Series and he raced in the GP2 Series for four years, achieving ...

, racing car driver *

Hinemoa Elder Hinemoa Elder is a New Zealand youth forensic psychiatrist and former television presenter. She is a professor in indigenous research at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, a fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatri ...

, youth forensic psychiatrist

References

External links

Te Aupōuri's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Te Aupouri