Ngāti Pūkenga is a Māori iwi

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,...

 centred in Tauranga

Tauranga

Tauranga is the most populous city in the Bay of Plenty region, in the North Island of New Zealand.It was settled by Europeans in the early 19th century and was constituted as a city in 1963...

 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...

 region of New Zealand

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...

. According to the 2006 census, 1,785 people claimed affiliation to the iwi. Ngāti Pūkenga is one of the three Tauranga Moana tribes, maintaining close ties with Ngaiterangi

Ngaiterangi

Ngāi Te Rangi is a Māori iwi, based in Tauranga.-External links:* Official website of...

 and Ngāti Ranginui

Ngati Ranginui

Ngāti Ranginui is a Māori iwi centred in Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand. Ngāti Ranginui is one of the three Tauranga Moana tribes, maintaining close ties with Ngāi Te Rangi and Ngāti Pūkenga. In the 2001 census, 6,120 people claimed affiliation to the iwi, representing 9 hapu...

. The Tauranga Moana iwi all consider Mt Maunganui ("Mauao") to be sacred. Ngāti Pūkenga have tribal holdings in Hauraki

Hauraki

Hauraki is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is under the local governance of the North Shore City Council.The population was 5,631 in the 2006 Census, an increase of 261 from 2001.-Education:...

, Whangarei

Whangarei

Whangarei, pronounced , is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the regional capital of Northland Region. Although commonly classified as a city, it is officially part of the Whangarei District, administered by the Whangarei District Council a local body created in 1989 to administer both the...

 and Maketu

Maketu

Maketu is a small town on the Bay of Plenty Coast in New Zealand. It is located on Okurei point and has an estuary from which the Kaituna River used to flow out of, it is also adjacent to Newdicks Beach located on the south eastern side of Okurei point. The name is sometimes informally abbreviated...

.

History

Pūkenga is the founding ancestor of the iwi. Pūkenga was of Mataatua

Mataatua

In Māori tradition, Mataatua was one of the great voyaging canoes by which Polynesians migrated to New Zealand. Māori traditions say that the Mataatua was initially sent from Hawaiki to bring supplies of kūmara to Māori settlements in New Zealand...

descent, and spent his life in Ruatoki

Ruatoki

Ruatoki is a locality in the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand. It is located at the base of the Urewera Valley, approximately 20 km south of Whakatane. The predominantly Māori community of approximately 600 people affiliate with the Tūhoe iwi, with at least ten marae located in the area...

. Upon his death, his people, known as "Ngāti Hā", moved east towards Opotiki

Opotiki

Opotiki is a town in the eastern Bay of Plenty in the North Island of New Zealand. It houses the headquarters of the Opotiki District Council and comes under the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.-Population:* of the town: 4176 - Male 1,989, Female 2,187...

. This resulted in the displacement of the tribe of Rōmainohorangi. Later, the displaced tribe, now known as "Ngāti Te Rangihouhiri", requested the help of Ngāti Hā in battle. For their assistance, Ngāti Pūkenga, as they were now known, were gifted land in Tauranga, where their main settlements still stand today.

The iwi Ngati Pukenga also got land gifted to them in Hauraki a little village called Manaia where direct descendants of Ngati Pukenga, and Pukenga himself still remain.

Ngāti Pūkenga today

The Tauranga Moana iwi including Ngāti Pūkenga continue to seek redress with the New Zealand Government for their losses in 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...

. No settlement thus far has been reached.