NgÃÂti Kahungunu () is a MÃÂori iwi (tribe) located along the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The iwi is traditionally centred in the Hawke's Bay and WairÃÂrapa regions. The Kahungunu iwi also comprises 86 hapà « (sub-tribes) and 90 marae (meeting grounds).
The tribe is organised into six geographical and administrative divisions: Wairoa, Te Whanganui-ÃÂ-Orotà «, Heretaunga, Tamatea, TÃÂmaki-nui-a Rua and Wairarapa. It is the 4th largest iwi in New Zealand by population, with 82,239 people identifying as NgÃÂti Kahungunu in the 2018 census.
NgÃÂti Kahungunu trace their origins to the TÃÂkitimu waka, one of the MÃÂori migration canoes which arrived on New Zealand's North Island around 1100âÂÂ1200 AD, according to NgÃÂti Kahungunu traditions. According to local legend, TÃÂkitimu and its crew were completely tapu. Its crew comprised men only: high chiefs, chiefs, tohunga and elite warriors. No cooked food was eaten before or during the voyage. The captain of TÃÂkitimu was Tamatea Arikinui. He left the waka at Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty or at Tà «ranga, near modern-day Gisborne, travelling overland until he arrived at Ahuriri (now part of Napier) in the Hawke's Bay Region. The waka TÃÂkitimu itself continued its voyage to the South Island under a new captain, Tahu Pà Âtiki, from whom the South Island iwi of NgÃÂi Tahu takes its name.
According to oral history, Kahungunu was the great-grandson of Tamatea Arikinui and was born in present-day Kaitaia. It has been widely recounted that Kahungunu travelled extensively through the North Island during his early adulthood, eventually settling on the East Coast of the North Island. He married several times during his travels, and as a result there are many North Island hapà « that trace their lineage directly back to Kahungunu. Many of his marriages were arranged for diplomatic purposes, uniting various iwi against their enemies, forming bonds and securing peace. At some point, Kahungunu arrived at MÃÂhia Peninsula, where he pursued and married Rongomaiwahine, a woman from Nukutaurua who was a chief in her own right. She was famously beautiful, and according to legend had issued a challenge to Kahungunu, insulting his charismatic reputation and inviting him to prove himself worthy of her. Kahungunu accepted the challenge, murdered her husband and, after numerous trials, succeeded in obtaining Rongomaiwahine's consent to marry. The iwi NgÃÂti Kahungunu and NgÃÂti Rongomaiwahine both descend from this marriage.
The eldest son of Kahungunu and Rongomaiwahine was named Kahukura-nui. His children included two sons, RÃÂkei-hikuroa and Rakai-pÃÂka. RÃÂkei-hikuroa wanted his favourite son Tà «-purupuru to be pre-eminent chief over NgÃÂti Kahungunu. The twin sons of his nephew Kahutapere seemed to threaten this plan, so they were murdered. Kahutapere defeated Rakei-hikuroa at the Battle of Te Paepae o Rarotonga. After this, he led a migration of his families and followers from Nukutaurua on the MÃÂhia Peninsula to Heretaunga, the region known today as Hawke's Bay. Accompanying RÃÂkei-hikuroa from MÃÂhia to Heretaunga was a son from one of his first marriage, Taraia. Not long after their arrival in Heretaunga, Taraia succeeded RÃÂkei-hikuroa as the leader of their people, and he proved to be a proficient strategist in the struggle for dominance of the region, displacing the Whatumamoa, RangitÃÂne, NgÃÂti Awa, and elements of the NgÃÂti Tara iwi, which lived in Petane, Te Whanganui-ÃÂ-Orotu and Waiohiki. Within Taraia's lifetime, Heretaunga was brought under the control of his people, who became the first of the NgÃÂti Kahungunu in that area.
The descendants of RÃÂkei-hikuroa split into various hapà «. Allegiances shifted, and MÃÂori geopolitics in the region was largely played out as an internal struggle for dominance among the hapà « of NgÃÂti Kahungunu, broken up by intermittent raids from NgÃÂti Porou and repeated attempts by NgÃÂti Raukawa to settle in Heretaunga. Initially, the descendants of RÃÂkei-hikuroa were divided between Te Hika a Ruarauhanga, the descendants of his first wife, and Te Hika a PÃÂpÃÂuma, the descendants of his second. After four generations, this conflict was resolved, when Te WhatuiÃÂpiti of PÃÂpÃÂuma married Te Huhuti, of Ruarauhanga. Their courtship is considered to be one of the great romances of MÃÂori tradition. Subsequently, a new conflict arose between his descendants, NgÃÂti Te WhatuiÃÂpiti, and the descendants of Taraia, NgÃÂti Te à ªpokoiri. NgÃÂti Te WhatuiÃÂpiti settled in the Kaimanawa ranges, but were driven out by NgÃÂti Tà «wharetoa in a war in the sixteenth of seventeenth centuries.
Over time, some NgÃÂti Kahungunu hapà « settled in the Wairarapa region, finding a relatively peaceful existence there until the arrival of European settlers.
When RÃÂkei-hikuroa departed for Heretaunga, Rakai-pÃÂka and his sister Hinemanuhiri remained in the Gisborne area, but they were subsequently defeated in battle and migrated south to the northern Hawke's Bay, where his descendants settled at Nà «haka and became the NgÃÂti Rakaipaaka hapà «. Four generations later, their chief Te Huki solidified the hapà «'s position throughout the region with a series of diplomatic marriages, a process referred to as "setting the net of Te Huki", but was killed by Te WhÃÂnau-ÃÂ-Apanui.
Hinemanuhiri's son Tama-te-rangi took control of the Wairoa River valley from NgÃÂi Tauira and established NgÃÂi Tamaterangi. The chief Kotore is said to have coined the name NgÃÂti Kahungunu in the next generation, shortly before he was killed in an attack led by Te WhÃÂnau-ÃÂ-Apanui. The west and east banks of the Wairoa were split between the brothers Tapuwae Poharutanga o Tukutuku and Te Maaha, who fought one another, but were subsequently re-joined through intermarriage. In the late eighteenth century, their children, led by Te Kahu-o-te-rangi and Te-O-Tane, won a crushing victory over Te WhÃÂnau-ÃÂ-Apanui at the Battle of WhÃÂwhÃÂpà Â. After this, NgÃÂti Kahungunu's position in the northern Hawkes' Bay was secure. Later Te Kahu-o-te-rangi attempted to kill Te-O-Tane, but failed and they eventually reconciled.
In 1807, the Musket Wars broke out as chiefs from the northern NgÃÂpuhi, now equipped with firearms, launched attacks on weaker tribes to the south. The ongoing conflict reached the east coast when, in 1822, a NgÃÂti Tà «wharetoa war party led by Mananui Te Heuheu Tà «kino II crossed into NgÃÂti Kahungunu territory. Armed with muskets, Te Heuheu had come to assist NgÃÂti Te à ªpokoiri in retaking their lost pàof Te Roto-a-Tara, a fortified island in Lake Roto-a-Tara near the present-day site of Te Aute in Heretaunga. The pàhad historically been an important strategic asset of NgÃÂti Te à ªpokoiri, but it had recently been occupied by Tangiteruru, a NgÃÂti Porou chief who had invaded Heretaunga with the help of NgÃÂti Maru. After the arrival of Te Heuheu's war party, Tangiteruru abandoned the pÃÂ. However it was swiftly reoccupied by Te Pareihe, a young chief of NgÃÂti Te WhatuiÃÂpiti. Te Heuheu laid siege to the pàbut failed to capture it. After his brother was killed in a skirmish at nearby Waimarama, Te Heuheu abandoned his siege of Roto-a-Tara and raided the pàat Waimarama instead. Following this, he returned to NgÃÂti Tuwharetoa to regroup and prepare for a second assault on Te Roto-a-Tara. Returning weeks later, Te Heuheu was joined by a NgÃÂti Raukawa war party led by Te Whatanui, and together they devised a plan to assault the island fortress. They constructed a causeway enabling them to make the crossing from the shore of the lake to Te Roto-a-Tara pÃÂ. Te Pareihe commanded such a strong resistance in the ensuing battle that Te Heuheu and Te Whatanui were thrown back in total defeat, with the loss of over 500 chiefs. Te Pareihe abandoned Te Roto-a-Tara after the battle and moved to Pà Ârangahau.
Although he had beaten back a superior force at Te Roto-a-Tara, Te Pareihe knew that the defence of Heretaunga was unsustainable without the advantage of firearms. He and fellow NgÃÂti Kahungunu chief Tiakitai forged an alliance with Te Wera Hauraki, a chief from NgÃÂpuhi who had settled on the MÃÂhia Peninsula. Together, their forces retook Te Roto-a-Tara pàfrom NgÃÂi Te Upokoiri, who had occupied the fortress island after Te Pareihe escaped to Pà Ârangahau. But when news reached the alliance that a huge coalition of Waikato and Tà «wharetoa warriors were amassing to attack Heretaunga, Te Wera agreed to protect Te Pareihe and the NgÃÂti Kahungunu at his fortress settlement in MÃÂhia. Hence, in late 1823, Te Pareihe led an exodus of NgÃÂti Kahungunu refugees from Heretaunga to MÃÂhia, setting off from the beach at Waimarama. Some chiefs, such as Kurupo Te Moananui, Te Hapuku, and Tiakitai, remained in Heretaunga, but most joined the exodus. By the late 1830s hostilities had ended and the NgÃÂti Kahungunu diaspora began returning to Heretaunga.
In 1840 a number of NgÃÂti Kahungunu chiefs were signatories to the Treaty of Waitangi.
The spread of European settlement eventually reached NgÃÂti Kahungunu territory, and led to the rapid acquisition of MÃÂori land by The Crown during the 1850s and 1860s. Chiefs from the Heretaunga area, such as Te Hapuku and Henare Tomoana lost significant areas of land in sales that have since been labelled "extortionate", and which later became matters of dispute and protest. The loss of land during this period led to the emergence of the Repudiation Movement, a coalition of NgÃÂti Kahungunu leaders who sought to halt the rapidity of land loss in the region, and to dispute past sales.
In 1868 the Eastern Maori electorate was established in the New Zealand Parliament to provide parliamentary representation for MÃÂori in the east of the North Island, an area encompassing NgÃÂti Kahungunu. The first representatives for the electorate were NgÃÂti Kahungunu chiefs TÃÂreha Te Moananui (1868âÂÂ1871), Karaitiana Takamoana (1871âÂÂ1879), and Henare Tomoana (1879âÂÂ1881). The effectiveness of MÃÂori parliamentary representation during this period was hampered by a lack of fluent English on the part of the elected MÃÂori representatives, and by a lack of confidence in the European parliamentary system itself, which was seen as incapable of protecting MÃÂori interests. As a result, the Kotahitanga movement emerged in the 1890s to advocate for the establishment of an independent MÃÂori parliament. It convened parliamentary style meetings at PÃÂpÃÂwai Marae in WairÃÂrapa and at Waipatu in Heretaunga, where key issues of importance for MÃÂori were debated. However, by 1902 Te Kotahitanga had failed to gain recognition from the New Zealand Parliament and was therefore dissolved in favour of local MÃÂori Councils, which were established in 1900.
At the outset of the 20th century, a new generation of MÃÂori leaders were beginning to participate in the NgÃÂti Kahungunu political landscape. Te Aute College had opened in 1854 near Hastings, and in the 1880s and 1890s it was attended by ÃÂpirana Ngata, MÃÂui Pà Âmare, Te Rangi Hëroa (Sir Peter Buck), and Paraire Tomoana. In 1897 they formed the Te Aute College Students' Association and became active participants in public life, often mediating between the Crown and hapà « in matters of local land management. In 1909 the group was joined by James Carroll and became known as the Young MÃÂori Party. Hukarere Girlsâ College and St Joseph's MÃÂori Girls' College were also established within the region.
When the First World War broke out in 1914, a number of MÃÂori leaders responded by committing the support of their respective hapà « and iwi. Alumni of the Young MÃÂori Party, some of whom were now parliamentarians, were generally in favour of MÃÂori enlistment and were involved in recruitment campaigns. ÃÂpirana Ngata and MÃÂui Pà Âmare were the most aggressive proponents of MÃÂori enlistment, and in NgÃÂti Kahungunu they received the support of Paraire Tomoana, who was the son of the chief Henare Tomoana. Tomoana worked with Ngata to drive MÃÂori recruitment campaigns both within NgÃÂti Kahungunu and throughout other areas of the North Island.
Many men from NgÃÂti Kahungunu were among the MÃÂori who enlisted for war. They were organised into the New Zealand (MÃÂori) Pioneer Battalion. The battalion participated in the Gallipoli campaign in 1915 and the Western Front between 1916 and 1918. In January 1918 Paraire Tomoana published the words of E Pari Ra, a piece written for soldiers lost in battle. After the war this tune was adopted by the Royal New Zealand Navy as their official slow march. Other songs composed by Tomoana were Tahi nei taru kino, I runga o ngÃÂ puke, Hoki hoki tonu mai, Hoea rÃÂ te waka nei, PÃ Âkarekare ana, and the haka Tika tonu. The songs have since become treasured anthems of NgÃÂti Kahungunu, and in some cases were adopted by other iwi due to their wartime popularity.
After the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, many men from NgÃÂti Kahungunu again enlisted and fought overseas, primarily with the 28th (MÃÂori) Battalion. Soldiers from the NgÃÂti Kahungunu region were generally organised into 'D' Company of the battalion, along with men from Waikato, Maniapoto, Wellington and the South Island. Additionally, 'D' Company also consisted of some soldiers from the Pacific Islands, and from the Chatham Islands and Stewart Island. The battalion fought in the Greek, North African and Italian campaigns, during which it earned a formidable reputation as an extremely effective fighting force. It was also the most decorated New Zealand battalion of the war. Following the end of hostilities, the battalion contributed a contingent of personnel to serve in Japan as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force, before it was disbanded in January 1946. Wiremu Te Tau Huata was a well known officer from NgÃÂti Kahungunu, having served as the MÃÂori Battalion's military chaplain.
By 1946 only a small percentage of land in the NgÃÂti Kahungunu region had been retained by MÃÂori, and the traditional agrarian communities at the core of MÃÂori society were beginning to break down as returned servicemen found employment and settled in urban areas, such as Wairoa, Napier, Hastings, and Masterton. By the year 1966, 70% of MÃÂori men (throughout New Zealand in general) were now working in urban employment centres, particularly freezing works, sawmills, the transport industry (including road maintenance), the construction industry, and various types of factory work. In Hawke's Bay, thousands of MÃÂori worked at the Whakatu and Tomoana freezing works sites, near Hastings. However the regional economy and well-being of the MÃÂori community was profoundly impacted when both plants closed; Whakatu in 1986 and Tomoana in 1994.
The iwi contains a total of 86 hapà «. For administrative purposes they can be divided into six taiwhenua (regions), from north to south: Wairoa, Te Whanganui-a-Orotà «, Heretaunga, Tamatea, TÃÂmaki nui-ÃÂ-Rua, and Wairarapa. Several hapà « are found in multiple taiwhenua.
Wairoa is roughly equivalent to the Wairoa District, containing the area south of the Wharerata Ranges at Poverty Bay, including the Wairoa River and the MÃÂhia Peninsula. There are twenty-six hapà «:
Te Whanganui-a-Orotà « covers the area roughly from the Mohaka River down to the Ngaruroro River (i.e. the northern part of Hastings District plus Napier). There are fifteen hapà «:
Heretaunga is roughly equivalent to the part of Hastings District south of the Ngaruroro River, including Hastings. There are twenty-seven hapà «:
Tamatea is roughly equivalent to Central Hawke's Bay District. There are eighteen hapà «:
TÃÂmaki nui-ÃÂ-Rua is roughly equivalent to Tararua District (i.e. the northern half of Wairarapa. It contains seven hapà «:
Wairarapa covers the rest of the Wairarapa, down to the Cook Strait. It contains twenty-five hapà «:
In 1988, Te Rà «nanganui o NgÃÂti Kahungunu Incorporated was established as a centralised organisation responsible for iwi development, but it went into receivership in 1994. The organisation re-emerged with a new constitution in 1996 under the name NgÃÂti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated (NKII). An election was held in 1997, resulting in the establishment of an elected board of trustees and a new mandate to govern iwi development. Elections are held every three years, and all adults with a whakapapa link to a hapà « of NgÃÂti Kahungunu are eligible to vote. The chairperson of the board of trustees usually represents the iwi in political affairs.
In accordance with the constitution of NgÃÂti Kahungunu Iwi Inc, the board of trustees consists of ten tangata whenua representatives:
The board employs a General Manager and staff, which oversees the operational affairs of the iwi organisation. General Managers have included Labour member of parliament Meka Whaitiri. An asset holding company was also established in 2005 to manage the iwi's investment portfolio. The company's directors include former rugby player Taine Randell.
When Te Rà «nanganui o NgÃÂti Kahungunu Incorporated was established in 1988, its first chairperson was Pita Sharples. By 1994 a rapid succession of other chairpeople had led the organisation, while severe disharmony between board members was increasingly hampering the board's effectiveness. As a result, a case was brought to the High Court of New Zealand, where the dysfunctionality of the board was given as evidence of the need for the court to intervene. The court placed Te Rà «nanganui o NgÃÂti Kahungunu Incorporated into receivership, and placed it under the jurisdiction of the MÃÂori Land Court.
After the creation of a new constitution, the period of receivership ended and in 1996 the organisation was renamed NgÃÂti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated. The first election for the new board took place in March 1997. Ngahiwi Tomoana of Heretaunga and Toro Waka of Te Whanganui-ÃÂ-Orotà « were elected chairman and deputy chairman respectively.
While NKII is the mandated iwi organisation (MIO) in charge of iwi development and overseeing the fisheries settlement it received in 2004, NgÃÂti Kahungunu have settled their Treaty settlements of historical grievances on a hapu basis. Because of this, NgÃÂti Kahungunu has seven separate entities that have (or are in the process of) received their Treaty settlements to govern for their respective affiliate hapu and whanau. This is contrary to a centralised iwi entity that has more power than its hapu/hapu collectives.
Radio Kahungunu is the official station of NgÃÂti Kahungunu. It began as Tairawhiti Polytechnic training station Te Toa Takitini 2XY, making two short-term broadcasts on 1431 AM in December 1988, and October and November 1989. It was relaunched in 1990 as Radio Kahungunu 2XT, sharing the 765 AM frequency with Hawke's Bay's Racing Radio and Radio Pacific. It began broadcasting full-time in late 1991, moved dedicated studios at Stortford Lodge in the late 1990s, and began an FM simulcast on 4 September 2000. It broadcasts from Hastings, and is available on and in Hawkes Bay.