Ngāti Maniapoto is an

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

(tribe) based in the Waikato-Waitomo region of New Zealand's

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

. It is part of the

Tainui Tainui is a tribal waka (canoe), waka confederation of New Zealand Māori people, Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki Māori, Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapo ...

confederation, the members of which trace their

whakapapa Genealogy is a fundamental principle in Māori culture, termed specifically in this context as ''whakapapa'' (, , lit. 'layering'). Reciting one's '' whakapapa'' proclaims one's identity among the Māori, places oneself in a wider context, and ...

(genealogy) back to people who arrived in New Zealand on the waka (canoe)

. The 2018 New Zealand census reports show an estimated population of 45,930 people who affiliated with Maniapoto, making it the 9th most-populous iwi in New Zealand.

History

Ngāti Maniapoto trace their lineage to their eponymous ancestor Maniapoto, an 11th generation descendant of the people who arrived on the ''

'' waka and settled at the

Kawhia Harbour Kawhia Harbour () is one of three large natural inlets in the Tasman Sea coast of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located to the south of Raglan Harbour, Ruapuke and Aotea Harbour, 40 kilometres southwest of Hamilton, Ne ...

. His brother Rereahu led the Tainui expansion to the interior of the Waikato region, and Maniapoto settled in the southern Waikato area. Maniapoto's older brother Te Ihinga-a-rangi settled at Maungatautari, forming the Ngāti Hauā and Ngāti Korokī Kahukura iwi.

Hapū and marae

There are many marae (area in front of a wharenui) in the Ngāti Maniapoto area, one of the notable ones being Te Tokanga Nui A Noho at Te Kuiti (the narrowing) in

King Country The King Country ( Māori: ''Te Rohe Pōtae'' or ''Rohe Pōtae o Maniapoto'') is a region of the western North Island of New Zealand. It extends approximately from Kawhia Harbour and the town of Ōtorohanga in the north to the upper reaches of th ...

. This whare was given to Ngāti Maniapoto by

Te Kooti Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki ( 1832–1893) was a Māori leader and guerrilla fighter who was the founder of the Ringatū religion. While fighting alongside government forces against the Hauhau in 1865, he was accused of spying. Exiled to ...

, a Rongowhakaata guerilla fighter who lived in the region for the period while on the run from colonial forces which undertook searches for him during the

New Zealand Wars The New Zealand Wars () took place from 1845 to 1872 between the Colony of New Zealand, New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori people, Māori on one side, and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other. Though the wars were initi ...

. Of equal significance but less publicly known is Tiroa

Pā The word pā (; often spelled pa in English) can refer to any Māori people, Māori village or defensive settlement, but often refers to hillforts – fortified settlements with palisades and defensive :wikt:terrace, terraces – and also to fo ...

where the last Io whare wānanga (traditional study centre) was held in a specially crafted

whare A wharenui (; literally "large house") is a communal house of the Māori people of New Zealand, generally situated as the focal point of a ''marae''. Wharenui are usually called meeting houses in New Zealand English, or simply called '' whare' ...

called Te Whetu Marama o Hinawa at Te Miringa Te Kakara. The other whare wānanga was near present-day Piopio and was called Kahuwera. It stood on the hill of the same name and commanded a panoramic view of the Mokau River valley across the Maraetaua block. * Ngāti Rora * Ngāti Hinewai * Ngāti Taiawa or Taewa * Ngāti Kaputuhi * Ngāti Kinohaku * Ngāti Ngutu * Ngāti Mokau * Ngāti Hikairo * Ngāti Apakura * Ngāti Matakore * Ngāti Raukawa * Ngāti Utu * Ngāti Urunumia * Ngāti Paretekawa * Ngāti Parewaeono * Ngāti Waiora * Ngāti Hari * Ngāti Uekaha * Ngāti Rangatahi * Ngāti Peehi

Ngāti Te Kanawa

Ngāti Te Kanawa is an iwi based in

Taumarunui Taumarunui is a small town in the King Country of the central North Island of New Zealand. It is on an alluvial plain set within rugged terrain on the upper reaches of the Whanganui River, 65 km south of Te Kūiti and 55 km west of T� ...

and one of the forty main

hapū In Māori language, Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief ...

of the Ngāti Maniapoto confederation, which came into existence around 1860. They trace their

to the tupuna (ancestor) Te Kanawa, who was the great-great-great grandson of the tupuna Maniapoto and comes off Uruhina (child of Rungaterangi and Pareraukawa). The families who carry the name Te Kanawa today have a direct male blood line

to the tupuna Te Kanawa, also known as Te Kanawa Pango.

Notable people

* Wiremu Te Awhitu, Catholic priest * Sandor Earl, league player * Mihi Edwards, memoirist, social worker, teacher and

kaumātua A kaumātua is a respected tribal elder in a Māori community who has been involved with their whānau for a number of years. They are appointed by their people who believe the chosen elders have the capacity to teach and guide both current a ...

* Taonui Hikaka, Paramount chief * Dame Rangimārie Hetet, famous weaver and fabric artist * Dr Pei Te Hurinui Jones, academic and writer *

Richard Kahui Richard Kahui (born 9 June 1985) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. He played for Western Force in Super Rugby AU. He previously played for the and in Super Rugby, Waikato in the National Provincial Championship, and New Zealand inter ...

, rugby union player *

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Dame Kiri Jeanette Claire Te Kanawa (; born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron, 6 March 1944) is a New Zealand opera singer. She had a full lyric soprano voice, which has been described as "mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced". On 1 December ...

, opera singer * Rewi Manga Maniapoto, warrior chief * Sandra Morrison, professor at the University of Waikato *

Temuera Morrison Temuera Derek Morrison (born 26 December 1960) is a New Zealand actor who first gained recognition in his home country for playing Dr. Hone Ropata on the soap opera ''Shortland Street''. He garnered critical acclaim for starring as Jake "The M ...

, actor * Pania Newton, activist * Evelyn Patuawa-Nathan, poet * Puhiwahine, composer * Tiki Taane, singer * Rongo Wetere, educator * Wahanui, negotiator chief * Kahurangi Carter, politician * Dan Hooker, UFC fighter

References

External links

Maniapoto Trust Board

Ngati Maniapoto Marae Pact Trust

''Ngāti Maniapoto''
in Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand {{DEFAULTSORT:Ngati Maniapoto