This ancestral flag of Ngāti Kere has a net on it which depicts ‘Te Kupenga o te Huki’, Te Huki’s net. Te Huki forged relationships with other tribes by setting up marriage alliances with them. The net of unity illustrates links between Ngāti Kere, Ngāti Pahauwera and Ngāti Konohi. James Carroll gave a speech explaining the background to the net:

'Te Huki [was] one of the principal ancestors of the Maori people of [the Wairoa] district, [who] formed a league of the people extending from Porangahau to Whangara, along near the sea coast ... He selected and placed one of his grandsons named Ngarangi-whakaupoko at Te Poroporo, near Porangahau, to act as the post of the southern end of his net. From this post sprung the principal chiefs of that locality. Those are the Tipene Matuas, the Henare Te Atuas, the Ropihas and Te Kurus. He placed another of his grandsons named Ngawhakatatare at Whangara as the eastern post of the end of his net, from whom sprung the paramount chief of that locality, Te Kani-a-takirau, and others. Finally he placed his son Purua-aute in the centre as the spreading float of his net, from whom sprung the principal chiefs of Te Wai-roa and Heretaunga districts.'