Story: Whāngārei tribes
The ocean and coastline were central to the many tribes of Whāngārei. From Muriwhenua down to Auckland, traditions and place names such as Ngunguru (rumbling tides) reflect their seafaring history. Today, through the Ngāti Wai Trust Board, Māori people of the region are involved in environmental issues such as the preservation of beaches and nearshore islands.
Full story by Rāwiri Taonui
Main image: Whāngārei Harbour
The Short Story
A quick, easy summary
Read the Full StoryTribes
Several tribes belong to the region, including Ngare Raumati, Ngāi Tāhuhu, Ngāti Wai and Te Parawhau. Ngāti Wai are named after the swirling water (wai) in a cave at the Bay of Islands. Te Parawhau were said to have the largest pā (fortified village) in New Zealand.
Lands
The territory of the Whāngārei tribes stretches down the coast from the far north of the North Island to Auckland, and includes Great Barrier and Little Barrier islands. Many tribes lived along the coast, linked by seafaring and trading networks. There are several explanations of how Whāngārei was named. One tradition says that the full name means ‘the gathering place of whales’.
Ancestors
Among the ancestral canoes from Hawaiki were Tūnui-a-rangi, Te Arawa, Moekākara, Te Wakatūwhenua, and Māhuhu-ki-te-rangi, captained by Manaia. (Some accounts say he came on the Ruakaramea.) His people settled on the coast and the Poor Knights and Hen and Chickens Islands. Manaia is also the name given to the jagged mountain at Whāngārei Harbour.
Puhi, captain of the Mataatua canoe, named many places including Matapōuri (darkness), where he landed at night.
Land loss
From the 1840s the Whāngārei tribes began to lose much of their territory to the government and to European settlers. In 1890 only 25% of Whāngārei land was owned by Māori, and by 1939 this had fallen to 5%. More land was taken for nature reserves on nearshore islands such as Great Barrier and the Poor Knights.
Ngāti Wai today
The Ngāti Wai Trust Board assists the Whāngārei tribes in making land claims. It also helps to conserve the local environment and historical sites. Almost 5,000 people said they were affiliated with Ngāti Wai in the 2006 census.
