Ngati Maniapoto
Encyclopedia
Ngāti Maniapoto is an iwi
(tribe) based in the Waikato-Waitomo region of New Zealand's
North Island
. It is part of the Tainui
confederation, the members of which trace their whakapapa
(genealogy) back to people who arrived in New Zealand on the waka
(canoe) Tainui
. The 2006 New Zealand census shows the iwi to have a membership of 33,627 http://www.stats.govt.nz/census/2006-census-data/quickstats-about-maori/2006-census-quickstats-about-maori-revised.htm?page=para009Master, making it the 7th biggest iwi in New Zealand.
. This marae was gifted to Ngāti Maniapoto by Te Kooti
, a Rongowhakaata tribesman who sought refuge from the British colonial army during the New Zealand land wars
. Of equal significance but less publicly known is Tiroa Pā
where the last Io whare wānanga (traditional study centre) was held in a specially crafted whare called Te Miringa Te Kakara. The other whare wānanga was near present-day Piopio and was called Kahuwera. It stood on the hill of the same name and commanded a panoramic view of the Mokau River valley across the Maraetaua block.
This would leave the King and his Waikato allies as well as Ngāti Raukawa and Ngāti Maniapoto open on both the north and southern borders, something that the battle-hardened Rewi Manga Maniapoto could not accept.
Ngāti Maniapoto had traditionally been involved in attacking Taranaki iwi so this represented a change in loyalties. The isolated Waikato-Waitomo or Nehenehenui hill country region which they controlled was often a retreating point for allied Kingitanga iwi to fall back to after being defeated in a series of seven pitched battles and multiple skirmishes with the British and NZ forces.
After the Waikato war, Taonui Hikaka (a Junior Chief) and the paramount warrior Rewi Manga Maniapoto and Wahanui negotiated with the colonial government to allow the main trunk railway line through Ngāti Maniapoto territories. This was done because of word that the Māori King Tāwhiao
and Te Kooti were also trying to negotiate with the British colonial government for rail access and to set up Native Land Courts throughout the region. This could have meant that Ngāti Maniapoto would become landless. It is said that when Tāwhiao found out what they had done, he angrily threw his hat onto a survey map of the Ngāti Maniapoto territory and claimed the area where the hat fell as Te Rohe Pōtae, the district of the hat. To day this territory is called the King Country
, in reference to this event.
However, tensions grew between Ngāti Maniapoto chiefs and the King Tāwhiao because of what could be perceived as a transgressions of authority. It was widely understood that chiefs in Ngāti Maniapoto were only answerable to their consituent hapu, although they supported the notion and principles of the Kingitanga, this did not mean they could or even wanted to surrender their rangatiratanga or chieftainship. After all, the King was a king by virtue of the approval of the chiefs. While the King was resident in Ngāti Maniapoto territory as a guest, the mana of Ngāti Maniapoto reigned supreme in their rohe and the king did not have authority over their land.
Iwi
In New Zealand society, iwi form the largest everyday social units in Māori culture. The word iwi means "'peoples' or 'nations'. In "the work of European writers which treat iwi and hapū as parts of a hierarchical structure", it has been used to mean "tribe" , or confederation of tribes,...
(tribe) based in the Waikato-Waitomo region of New Zealand's
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
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...
. It is part of the Tainui
Tainui
Tainui is a tribal waka confederation of New Zealand Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa and Waikato...
confederation, the members of which trace their whakapapa
Whakapapa
Whakapapa , or genealogy, is a fundamental principle that permeates the whole of Māori culture. However, it is more than just a genealogical 'device'...
(genealogy) back to people who arrived in New Zealand on the waka
Waka (canoe)
Waka are Māori watercraft, usually canoes ranging in size from small, unornamented canoes used for fishing and river travel, to large decorated war canoes up to long...
(canoe) Tainui
Tainui (canoe)
In Māori tradition, Tainui was the name of one of the great ocean-going canoes in which Polynesians migrated to New Zealand, approximately 800 years ago. The Tainui waka was named for an infant who did not survive childbirth...
. The 2006 New Zealand census shows the iwi to have a membership of 33,627 http://www.stats.govt.nz/census/2006-census-data/quickstats-about-maori/2006-census-quickstats-about-maori-revised.htm?page=para009Master, making it the 7th biggest iwi in New Zealand.
Marae
There are many marae in the Ngāti Maniapoto area, one of the notable ones being Te Tokanga Nui A Noho http://www.threepas.co.nz at Te Kuiti in the King CountryKing Country
The King Country is a region of the western North Island of New Zealand. It extends approximately from the Kawhia Harbour and the town of Otorohanga in the north to the upper reaches of the Whanganui River in the south, and from the Hauhungaroa and Rangitoto Ranges in the east to near the Tasman...
. This marae was gifted to Ngāti Maniapoto by Te Kooti
Te Kooti
Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki was a Māori leader, the founder of the Ringatu religion and guerrilla.While fighting alongside government forces against the Hauhau in 1865, he was accused of spying. Exiled to the Chatham Islands without trial along with captured Hauhau, he experienced visions and...
, a Rongowhakaata tribesman who sought refuge from the British colonial army during the New Zealand land wars
New Zealand land wars
The New Zealand Wars, sometimes called the Land Wars and also once called the Māori Wars, were a series of armed conflicts that took place in New Zealand between 1845 and 1872...
. Of equal significance but less publicly known is Tiroa Pā
Pa (Maori)
The word pā can refer to any Māori village or settlement, but in traditional use it referred to hillforts fortified with palisades and defensive terraces and also to fortified villages. They first came into being about 1450. They are located mainly in the North Island north of lake Taupo...
where the last Io whare wānanga (traditional study centre) was held in a specially crafted whare called Te Miringa Te Kakara. The other whare wānanga was near present-day Piopio and was called Kahuwera. It stood on the hill of the same name and commanded a panoramic view of the Mokau River valley across the Maraetaua block.
Recent history
Ngāti Maniapoto was the iwi that got Tainui and the Kingitanga involved in the land wars (1845-72),by going to fight the British soldiers at Taranaki during the first Taranki war. It was a move not taken lightly but one which was underpinned with a level of strategic foresight. The Maniapoto chiefs especially Rewi Manga Maniapoto, knew that if the colonists got a foothold in the south it would only be time before they would establish a stronghold in the north and be positioned on each side of Waikato-Maniapoto.This would leave the King and his Waikato allies as well as Ngāti Raukawa and Ngāti Maniapoto open on both the north and southern borders, something that the battle-hardened Rewi Manga Maniapoto could not accept.
Ngāti Maniapoto had traditionally been involved in attacking Taranaki iwi so this represented a change in loyalties. The isolated Waikato-Waitomo or Nehenehenui hill country region which they controlled was often a retreating point for allied Kingitanga iwi to fall back to after being defeated in a series of seven pitched battles and multiple skirmishes with the British and NZ forces.
After the Waikato war, Taonui Hikaka (a Junior Chief) and the paramount warrior Rewi Manga Maniapoto and Wahanui negotiated with the colonial government to allow the main trunk railway line through Ngāti Maniapoto territories. This was done because of word that the Māori King Tāwhiao
Tawhiao
Tāwhiao I, Māori King , was leader of the Waikato tribes, the second Māori King and a religious visionary. He was a member of the Ngāti Mahuta iwi of Waikato....
and Te Kooti were also trying to negotiate with the British colonial government for rail access and to set up Native Land Courts throughout the region. This could have meant that Ngāti Maniapoto would become landless. It is said that when Tāwhiao found out what they had done, he angrily threw his hat onto a survey map of the Ngāti Maniapoto territory and claimed the area where the hat fell as Te Rohe Pōtae, the district of the hat. To day this territory is called the King Country
King Country
The King Country is a region of the western North Island of New Zealand. It extends approximately from the Kawhia Harbour and the town of Otorohanga in the north to the upper reaches of the Whanganui River in the south, and from the Hauhungaroa and Rangitoto Ranges in the east to near the Tasman...
, in reference to this event.
However, tensions grew between Ngāti Maniapoto chiefs and the King Tāwhiao because of what could be perceived as a transgressions of authority. It was widely understood that chiefs in Ngāti Maniapoto were only answerable to their consituent hapu, although they supported the notion and principles of the Kingitanga, this did not mean they could or even wanted to surrender their rangatiratanga or chieftainship. After all, the King was a king by virtue of the approval of the chiefs. While the King was resident in Ngāti Maniapoto territory as a guest, the mana of Ngāti Maniapoto reigned supreme in their rohe and the king did not have authority over their land.
Famous people
- Dame Kiri Te Kanawa - Opera Singer
- Temuera MorrisonTemuera MorrisonTemuera Derek Morrison is a New Zealand-born actor. He has become one of the country's most famous stars for his roles as the abusive Jake "the Muss" Heke in 1994's Once Were Warriors and as bounty hunter Jango Fett and the Clone Troopers in the Star Wars series...
- Television and Film Actor - Dame Rangimarie Hetet - famous weaver and fabric artist
- Dr Pei Te Hurinui Jones - Famous Maori academic and writer
- Taonui Hikaka - Paramount chief of Ngāti Maniapoto in the latter half of the 19th century
- Rewi Manga Maniapoto - Warrior Chief who was famous in battle with the British Imperial Army.
- Wahanui - Warrior Chief famous for his diplomacy skills in negotiation.
- Tiki TaaneTiki TaaneTiki Taane is a New Zealand musician and former member of leading New Zealand band Salmonella Dub. Taane left Salmonella Dub on 1 January 2007 to pursue a solo career...
- live soundman of Salmonella DubSalmonella DubSalmonella Dub are a Dub/Drum n Bass/Reggae/Roots band from Kaikoura, New Zealand. They were formed in 1991 by Andrew Penman, David Deakins and Mark Tyler... - Richard KahuiRichard KahuiRichard Kahui is a New Zealand rugby union footballer.-Career:Kahui plays in the position of Centre. He plays for Waikato in the Air New Zealand Cup and made his Super 14 debut in 2006 with the Highlanders. Kahui was the top try scorer of the 2006 Air New Zealand Cup...
- All BlackAll BlacksThe New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport.... - Homai Uerata - Radio DJ for Raukawa FM
- Wiremu Te AwhituWiremu Te AwhituWiremu Hakopa Toa Te Awhitu was the first Māori to be ordained a Roman Catholic priest.Born at Okahukura near Taumarunui, he was the third of 10 children of Tamakaitoa Te Awhitu and his wife Katarina Toia Bell. His family belonged to the Ngāti Hauaroa and Ngāti Maniapoto iwi. His early education...
- First Māori Catholic Priest. - Sandor EarlSandor EarlSandor "Princess" Earl is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Penrith Panthers in the NRL. He primarily plays on the wing.-Early years:...
- NRL Player for the Penrith Panthers - Rodney Bell
External links
- Maniapoto Trust Board
- Ngāti Maniapoto in Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand