Rereahu was a MÃÂori rangatira (chieftain) of NgÃÂti Raukawa in the Tainui tribal confederation from the Waikato region, New Zealand. He probably lived in the first half of the seventeenth century. He is the ancestor of the NgÃÂti Maniapoto, NgÃÂti HauÃÂ, and NgÃÂti Korokë Kahukura iwi, and of Rereahu, a group based around Maniaiti / Benneydale, Pureora, and Maraeroa in Waitomo District, whose status as a separate iwi or as a hapà « (sub-tribe) of NgÃÂti Maniapoto is a matter of dispute.
RereahuâÂÂs father was Raukawa, the son of Tà «rongo and MÃÂhina-a-rangi, and a direct male-line descendant of Hoturoa, leader of the Tainui waka. His mother was Turongoihi. He had three younger brothers: Kurawari (father of WhÃÂita and Korokore), Whakatere, and Takihiku (father of Tama-te-hura, Upoko-iti, Wairangi, and Pipito).
There was a tribe called NgÃÂti HÃÂ, led by three chiefs, HÃÂ-nui ('Big HÃÂ'), HÃÂ-roa ('Long HÃÂ'), and HÃÂ-kà «hÃÂ-nui ('Big-thigh HÃÂ'), who had been driven out of the Taupà  region by NgÃÂti Tà «wharetoa and headed west, establishing a village on the Mà Âkau River, upstream from Puketutu. Rereahu noticed the NgÃÂti Hàat Te Tëroa while he was foraging for mamaku shoots and reported to his third-cousin TamÃÂio that they were coming to seize the land. As a result, TamÃÂio raised a war party, which advanced on the NgÃÂti Hàvillage and drove them out of the region.
Rereahu married Rangi-ÃÂnewa, daughter of TamÃÂio. They settled in the village called Tihikoreoreo, next to Waimiha, where they had one son:
Rereahu later married Hine-au-pounamu, whose parents were Tà «-a-tangiroa and a daughter of the NgÃÂti-Hàchief HÃÂ-kà «hÃÂ-nui. Tà «-a-tangiroa was a son of Uenuku-tuhatu Uetapu, the older brother of TamÃÂioâÂÂs father Uenuku-te-rangi-hà ÂkÃÂ, which meant that Hine-au-pounamu was senior to Rangi-ÃÂnewa, which had implications for the relative status of RereahuâÂÂs children. From this marriage, there were six sons and two daughters:
These children were raised in the region around KÃÂwhia. Subsequently, they settled along the WaipàRiver and the Manga-o-kewa Stream, with a central hub at Te Kà «iti. Rereahu is depicted on the front post of Te Tokanganui-a-noho marae at Te Kà «iti. Rereahu himself settled at NgàHerenga in Maraeroa, where he lived until his death. The location remains a wÃÂhi tapu (sacred space) for his descendants.
When Rereahu was on his death-bed he decided to give his mana to Maniapoto, rather than Te Ihinga-a-rangi, because he thought the younger brother had proven himself a better leader. Therefore, he told Te Ihinga-a-rangi to go to the tuahu (altar) and perform the rituals, promising to pass the mana to him when he returned. While he was away, he called Maniapoto to him, covered his head in red ochre and instructed him to bite the crown of his head, passing the chiefly mana to him. Maniapoto objected, but Rereahu declared that Te Ihinga-a-rangi was illegitimate in some way. Pei Te Hurinui Jones suggests that this was because Rereahu already planned to marry Hine-pounamu when Te Ihinga-a-rangi was conceived and/or because Hine-moana was genealogically senior to Rangi-ÃÂnewa. Maniapoto accepted the mana and by the time Te Ihinga-a-rangi returned, Rereahu was dead. This led to a conflict between the brothers, in which Maniapoto was victorious.
The Rereahu tribal group are descended from Rereahu. Their rohe centres on Mangapeehi Marae / Rereahu Wharenui near Maniaiti / Benneydale, and Te Hape Marae / Te Kaha Tuatini Wharenui near Pureora. They are also among the hapà « that share Otewa PàMarae / Aroha Nui Wharenui near à Âtorohanga, and of Te Ahoroa Marae / Tapairu Wharenui near Te Kà «iti. The NgÃÂti Raukawa branch of Rereahu is based at à Âwairaka RÃÂwhitiroa Marae / Takihiku Wharenui near Parawera.
The status of Rereahu as an iwi or hapà « is subject to dispute. Te Puni Kà Âkiri refers to them as a hapà « within NgÃÂti Maniapoto and NgÃÂti Raukawa, while the MÃÂori Maps project administered by Te Potiki National Trust calls them an iwi and a hapà « in different contexts. In the context of the NgÃÂti Maniapoto Treaty of Waitangi claim, representatives of Rereahu have emphasised their âÂÂdistinct identity within NgÃÂti Maniapotoâ and some members have claimed not to be part of the NgÃÂti Maniapoto iwi.
RereahuâÂÂs treaty claims are pursued by Te Maru o Rereahu Iwi Trust. This organisation, and others, form part of Te Whakaminenga o Rereahu, which has partnered with the Maniapoto MÃÂori Trust Board as party of NgÃÂti ManiapotoâÂÂs treaty claim, but from 2016 it attempted to withdraw and pursue an independent claim. This culminated in an unsuccessful vote to withdraw from the Maniapoto claim in 2021.
Rereahu are among the groups represented by the Maraeroa A & B Trust, which administers two blocks of land within Te Rohe PÃ Âtae, which were subdivided by the Native Land Court in 1887 and 1891 rulings. Following these rulings, the Crown began negotiations to purchase land in the blocks, acquiring 90% of it by 1908 and alienating the rest of it, in favour of private timber companies, between 1916 and 1958, through procedures established by the Native Land Act, 1909. They were the subject of a Treaty of Waitangi claim and were returned by the New Zealand government in 2012, under the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Act.