Whareponga is a bay and rural community in the

Gisborne District Gisborne District or the Gisborne Region (Māori language, Māori: ''Te Tairāwhiti'' or ''Te Tai Rāwhiti'') is a local government area of northeastern New Zealand. It is governed by Gisborne District Council, a unitary authority (with the co ...

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 located north of

Waipiro Bay Waipiro Bay is a small coastal settlement in the Gisborne District on the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The name also refers to the bay that the settlement is built on. It was named Waipiro by Chief Paoa, which translates literal ...

, and is the mouth of Whareponga Stream and Wharekaka Stream. The area has a rugged landscape, featuring green bush-covered hills and exposed cliffs. The local

Ngāti Porou Ngāti Porou is a Māori iwi traditionally located in the East Cape and Gisborne regions of the North Island of New Zealand. It has the second-largest affiliation of any iwi, behind Ngāpuhi, with an estimated 102,480 people according to the ...

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 Te Aitanga a Mate takes its name from a common ancestor, Materoa. The Whareponga Marae, also affiliated with the Ngāi Tangihaere hapū, includes a

meeting house A meeting house (also spelled meetinghouse or meeting-house) is a building where religious and sometimes private meetings take place. Terminology Nonconformist (Protestantism), Nonconformist Protestant denominations distinguish between a: * chu ...

named after Materoa. Since the 19th century, most of the hapū has migrated to larger centres. New homes were built for returning families in 2017, with funding from

Te Puni Kōkiri Te Puni Kōkiri (TPK, also called in English the Ministry of Māori Development) is the principal policy advisor of the Government of New Zealand on Māori people, Māori wellbeing and development. Te Puni Kōkiri was established under the Māor ...

. In October 2020, the Government committed $5,756,639 from the

Provincial Growth Fund Shane Geoffrey Jones (born 3 September 1959) is a New Zealand politician and a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives for the New Zealand First party. Jones' political career began 2005 New Zealand general election, in 2005 as a l ...

to upgrade the Whareponga Marae and 28 other Ngāti Porou marae. The funding was expected to create 205 jobs.

Notable people

Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa Ngarimu Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa Ngarimu VC (7 April 1918 – 27 March 1943) was a New Zealand soldier and posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth ...

, soldier and VC recipient *

Arihia Ngata Arihia Kane Ngata, Lady Ngata, (née Tāmati; 1879 – 18 April 1929) was a New Zealand community leader. Born at Whareponga, she married Āpirana Ngata at age sixteen, and together they had fifteen children. During the First World War she or ...

, community leader

References

Populated places in the Gisborne District Bays of the Gisborne District {{Gisborne-geo-stub