Ngāti Wairangi was a Māori

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). Its ''

rohe The Māori people of New Zealand use the word ' to describe the territory or boundaries of tribes (, although some divide their into several . Background In 1793, chief Tuki Te Terenui Whare Pirau who had been brought to Norfolk Island drew ...

'' (tribal area) covers the West Coast of the

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

of New Zealand. It was the last Waitaha tribe to be integrated into

Ngāi Tahu Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori people, Māori (tribe) of the South Island. Its (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim, New Zealand, Blenhe ...

, the principal tribe of the South Island today.The Ngai Tahu Land Report
(PDF). ''Ministry of Justice – Tāhū o te Ture''. 1991. p. 179. Retrieved 8 June 2020. The West Coast was commonly known as Te Tai Poutini, named for a

Taniwha In Māori mythology, taniwha () are large supernatural beings that live in deep pools in rivers, dark caves, or in the sea, especially in places with dangerous currents or deceptive breakers (giant waves). They may be considered highly respecte ...

who protected the people and pounamu of the region. They held control over Arahura, a settlement known for its deposits of

pounamu Pounamu is a term for several types of hard and durable stone found in the South Island of New Zealand. They are highly valued in New Zealand, and carvings made from pounamu play an important role in Māori culture. Name The Māori word ...

(greenstone), which led to conflict as Ngāi Tahu conquered the South Island in the 1600s and 1700s.

History

It is believed that the Ngāti Wairangi were a pre-Aotea tribe (originating from before when New Zealand was known as Aotearoa), migrating from the

Taranaki Region Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano Taranaki Maunga, formerly known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth ...

to the West Coast in the first Waitaha migration south. Ngāti Wairangi was a relatively isolated tribe, as there were no known paths across the

Southern Alps The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) are a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand, New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The n ...

to the

Canterbury Plains The Canterbury Plains () are an area in New Zealand centred in the Mid Canterbury, to the south of the city of Christchurch in the Canterbury region. Their northern extremes are at the foot of the Hundalee Hills in the Hurunui District, and ...

until Raureka discovered one crossing from west to east. The tribe eventually connected with Ngāi Tahu through multiple strategic marriages before eventual conflict between the two iwi that assimilated Ngāti Wairangi into Ngāi Tahu at the battle of Lake Mahinapua by the late 1700s. The region was invaded again by northern tribes in the 1830s, but Ngāi Tahu maintained control and still does to this day.

References

Iwi and hapū West Coast Region {{Māori-stub