Rewi Maniapoto, shown here in 1879, was a Ngāti Maniapoto leader and direct descendant of the tribe's eponymous ancestor, Maniapoto. Rewi was an important supporter of the Kīngitanga (Māori King movement) and led Ngāti Maniapoto forces in battle after the government invaded Waikato territory in 1863. During the siege of Ōrākau he is said to have uttered the famous words, 'Ka whawhai tonu mātou, Āke! Āke! Āke!' (we will fight on for ever and ever), in response to General Duncan Cameron's call to surrender.

Rewi Maniapoto declared peace with the government after a meeting with Native Minister Donald McLean in 1869. In the early 1880s he and other Ngāti Maniapoto leaders broke with the Kīngitanga and entered into negotiations with the government to open their territory.