| Ngāti Maniapoto | |
|---|---|
| Iwi (tribe) inMāoridom | |
 | |
| Rohe (region) | Waikato-Waitomo |
| Waka (canoe) | Tainui |
| Population | 45,930 |
Ngāti Maniapoto is aniwi (tribe) based in the Waikato-Waitomo region ofNew Zealand'sNorth Island. It is part of theTainui confederation, the members of which trace theirwhakapapa (genealogy) back to people who arrived in New Zealand on thewaka (canoe)Tainui. The 2018 New Zealand census reports show an estimated population of 45,930 people who affiliated withManiapoto, making it the 9th most-populous iwi in New Zealand.[1]
Ngāti Maniapoto trace their lineage to their eponymous ancestorManiapoto, an 11th generation descendant of the people who arrived on theTainui waka and settled at theKawhia Harbour. His fatherRereahu led the Tainui expansion to the interior of the Waikato region, and Maniapoto settled in the southern Waikato area.[2] Maniapoto's older brotherTe Ihinga-a-rangi settled atMaungatautari, forming theNgāti Hauā andNgāti Korokī Kahukura iwi.[2]
There are many marae (area in front of a wharenui) in the Ngāti Maniapoto area, one of the notable ones being Te Tokanga Nui A Noho[3] at Te Kuiti (the narrowing) inKing Country. This whare was given to Ngāti Maniapoto byTe Kooti, a Rongowhakaata guerilla fighter who lived in the region for the period while on the run fromcolonial forces which undertook searches for him during theNew Zealand Wars. Of equal significance but less publicly known isTiroaPā where the lastIo whare wānanga (traditional study centre) was held in a specially craftedwhare called Te Whetu Marama o Hinawa at 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.[citation needed]
Ngāti Te Kanawa is an iwi based inTaumarunui and one of the forty mainhapū of the Ngāti Maniapoto confederation, which came into existence around 1860. They trace theirwhakapapa to the tupuna (ancestor)Te Kanawa, who was the great-great-great grandson of the tupuna Maniapoto and comes off Uruhina (child of Rungaterangi and Pareraukawa). The families who carry the name Te Kanawa today have a direct male blood linewhakapapa to the tupuna Te Kanawa, also known as Te Kanawa Pango.[5]
