Geography

The people of Ngāti Apa live in the Rangitīkei

Rangitikei District

The Rangitikei District is a Territorial Authority located primarily in the Manawatu-Wanganui Region in the North Island of New Zealand, although a small part, the town of Ngamatea , of it lies in the Hawke's Bay Region...

 region, towards the south-west of the North Island

North Island

The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...

 of New Zealand. Their traditional lands extend between the Mangawhero

Mangawhero River

The Mangawhero River is in the North Island of New Zealand.It drains the south-western slopes of Mount Ruapehu, passes though Ohakune before discharging into the Whangaehu River to the south-west of Mangamahu....

, Whangaehu

Whangaehu River

The Whangaehu River is a large river in central North Island of New Zealand. Its headwaters are the crater lake of Mount Ruapehu on the central plateau, and it flows into the Tasman Sea eight kilometres southeast of Wanganui.-Length:...

, Turakina

Turakina River

The Turakina River is a river of the southwestern North Island of New Zealand. It flows generally southwestward from its source south of Waiouru, roughly paralleling the larger Whangaehu River, and reaches the sea 20 kilometres southeast of Wanganui....

 and Rangitīkei

Rangitikei River

The Rangitikei River is one of New Zealand's longest rivers, 185 kilometers long.Its headwaters are to the southeast of Lake Taupo in the Kaimanawa Ranges. It flows from the Central Plateau south past Taihape, Mangaweka, Hunterville, Marton, and Bulls, to the South Taranaki Bight at Tangimoana, 40...

 rivers. This area is bounded by Whanganui River

Whanganui River

The Whanganui River is a major river in the North Island of New Zealand.Known for many years as the Wanganui River, the river's name reverted to Whanganui in 1991, according with the wishes of local iwi. Part of the reason was also to avoid confusion with the Wanganui River in the South Island...

 in the north-west, and Manawatu River

Manawatu River

The Manawatu River is a major river of the southern North Island of New Zealand.The river has its headwaters to the northwest of Norsewood in the Ruahine Ranges of southern Hawke's Bay. It flows initially eastward before turning south-west near Ormondville, flowing 40 km before turning...

 in the south-east. The marae

Marae

A marae malae , malae , is a communal or sacred place which serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies...

 in this district include Tini wai tara, Whangaehu, Kauangaroa, and Parewanui.

History

Ko Kurahaupo te Waka
Ko Taikorea, Paaraekaretu me Ruapehu Ngaa Maunga
Ko Whangaehu, Turakina, Rangitikei Me Oroua Ngaa Awa
Ko Apa Hapaitaketake Te Tangata Tuuturu

Apa Wetewete I Te Takiritanga O Te Ata
(Apa The Destroyer who rises before dawn)

Ngāti Apa take their name from the ancestor Apa-hāpai-taketake, who was the son of Ruatea. Stories of Apa’s deeds place the tribe's origins in the Bay of Plenty

Bay of Plenty

The Bay of Plenty , often abbreviated to BOP, is a region in the North Island of New Zealand situated around the body of water of the same name...

. To the west of Pūtauaki mountain is a place known to Māori as Te Takanga-a-Apa (the place where Apa fell), so named because, according to one account, it was where Apa was kicked to the ground by the pet moa

Moa

The moa were eleven species of flightless birds endemic to New Zealand. The two largest species, Dinornis robustus and Dinornis novaezelandiae, reached about in height with neck outstretched, and weighed about ....

 of a man called Te Awatope. Because he limped after this incident, he was named Apa-koki (Apa with a limp). One explanation for the place name is that Apa fell to his death there. Another account says he was banished from the district after slaughtering Te Awatope’s moa.

Ngati Apa then found themselves living in the Rotoaira lake district. Apa started sending parts of his tribe south to cultivate the land and have settlements ready before the whole party travelled down. However Apa did not leave until after he had eaten one of Te Awatope's favourite dogs. Te Awatope sought to kill Apa as this dog was his favourite. However when he went to where Ngati Apa had settled he was told by some people that Apa had been warned the previous evening and had already proceeded south during the night. Many generations later, Ngati Apa were not only descended from Apa Hapaitaketake, but also of Turi captain of Aotea

Aotea (canoe)

In Māori tradition, Aotea is one of the canoes by which Māori migrated to New Zealand; it is particularly associated with the tribes of Taranaki and Whanganui, including Ngāti Ruanui and other tribal groups. Aotea was a double canoe built by Toto from half of a great tree from Hawaiki, the other...

 Paerangi normally associated to the Ati Hau and Ngati Rangi

Ngati Rangi

Ko Ruapehu te MaungaKo Ngā Turi o Murimotu te Maunga TapuKo Whangaehu te AwaKo Ngāti Rangi te IwiIntroduction=Ngāti Rangi is an iwi of the central North Island, New Zealand....

 tribes. Some along the Rangitikei

Rangitikei

Rangitikei is an area in New Zealand that follows the course of State Highway 1, from just south of Waiouru with the QEII Army Memorial Museum, through Taihape, Mangaweka, Hunterville, Marton and Bulls, and then winds down a minor road to the coast at Turakina & Scott’s Ferry...

 river (Papawhenua's descendants) were not only of Kurahaupo

Kurahaupo

In Taranaki tribal tradition, Kurahaupō is known as 'Te Waka Pakaru ki te moana' or 'The Canoe broken at sea', and was reputed to have arrived in Aotearoa in the same generation as the other great migration vessels of the Māori like Aotea, Mataatua, Takitimu, Tainui, Arawa etc...

, but also of Matahourua

Matahourua

In Māori tradition, Matahourua was the canoe of the legendary hero Kupe, who, in some accounts, was the discoverer of Aotearoa .-References:...

, or as some northern tribes say, ngaitokimatawhaorua.

Many Ngati Apa deny any connection to the Bay Of Plenty, Putauaki area.

Today Ngāti apa have many Hapū, named here are the ones still active to this day.
Turakina
Ngā Āriki. Ngāti Kiriwheke and Ngāti Rātua
Whangaehu
Ngāti Hikapirau, Ngāti Rangiwaho, Ngāti Rangiwhakaturia and Ngāti Rangipakini

Foreshore and seabed

The New Zealand foreshore and seabed controversy

New Zealand foreshore and seabed controversy

The New Zealand foreshore and seabed controversy is a debate in the politics of New Zealand. It concerns the ownership of the country's foreshore and seabed, with many Māori groups claiming that Māori have a rightful claim to title. These claims are based around historical possession and the Treaty...

was sparked when, on 19 June 2003, New Zealand's Court of Appeal ruled, in the Ngāti Apa decision, that Māori were entitled to seek "customary title" over areas of New Zealand's foreshore and seabed in the Māori Land Court.

External links

• Ngāti Apa in Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand