NgÃÂti Porou is a MÃÂori iwi traditionally located in the East Cape and Gisborne regions of the North Island of New Zealand. It has the second-largest affiliation of any iwi, behind NgÃÂpuhi, with an estimated 102,480 people according to the 2023 census. The traditional rohe or tribal area of NgÃÂti Porou extends from Pà Âtikirua and Lottin Point in the north to Te Toka-a-Taiau (a rock that used to sit in the mouth of Gisborne harbour) in the south. The NgÃÂti Porou iwi comprises 58 hapà « (sub-tribes) and 48 mÃÂrae (meeting grounds).
Mount Hikurangi features prominently in NgÃÂti Porou traditions as a symbol of endurance and strength, and holds tapu status. In these traditions, Hikurangi is often personified. NgÃÂti Porou traditions indicate that Hikurangi was the first point to surface when MÃÂui fished up the North Island from beneath the ocean. His canoe, the Nuku-tai-memeha, is said to have been wrecked there. The Waiapu River also features in NgÃÂti Porou traditions.
NgÃÂti Porou takes its name from the ancestor Porourangi, also known as Porou Ariki. He was a direct descendant of Toi-kai-rÃÂkau, MÃÂui (accredited in oral tradition with raising the North Island from the sea), and Paikea the whale rider.
Although NgÃÂti Porou claim the Nukutaimemeha as their foundation canoe, many NgÃÂti Porou ancestors arrived on different canoes, including Horouta, TÃÂkitimu and Tereanini. The descendants of Porourangi and Toi formed groups that spread across the East Cape through conquest and through strategic marriage alliances.
Genealogical associations with other iwi also arise through direct descent from NgÃÂti Porou ancestors:
NgÃÂti Porou sustained heavy losses over the course of the Musket Wars, a period of heightened warfare between iwi unleashed by the adoption of firearms and resulting power imbalances. The iwi's first experience of musket warfare came in 1819, when a raid by NgÃÂpuhi rangatira Te Morenga led to the capture and killing of many members, including two rangatira. That same year a second attack by Hongi Hika of NgÃÂpuhi and Te Haupa of NgÃÂti Maru targeted the iwiâÂÂs pàat Wharekahika Bay, but Te Haupa was slain and the raid was repelled at the cost of heavy casualties. Heavy defeats came at the hands of a raiding party led by the NgÃÂpuhi rangatira Pà Âmare I and Te Wera Hauraki, who through force and guile sacked the pàof Okauwharetoa and Te Whetumatarau near Te Araroa. Te Wera HaurakiâÂÂs forces would then move on to sack additional pàin the area of Waiapu River and Whareponga Bay. A final defeat at the hands of NgÃÂpuhi took place in 1823, when a preemptive attack by a large army of NgÃÂti Porou warriors on Pà ÂmareâÂÂs trespassing forces in Te Araroa was cut down in open field by musket fire. The rangatira Taotaoriri was then able to negotiate a favourable peace between the two iwi, a deal sealed by his marriage to the NgÃÂti Porou noblewoman Hikupoto and the return of Rangi-i-paea, who had been abducted and married to Pà Âmare in a previous raid. This peace was to have important religious consequences, as a number of NgÃÂti Porou rangatira freed by NgÃÂpuhi in later negotiations would go on to spread the Christianity they had adopted from European missionaries during the course of their captivity.
A second wave of violence rocked NgÃÂti Porou starting in 1829, when the presence of NgÃÂti Porou passengers on the ship where the NgÃÂti Awa rangatira Ngarara was assassinated by NgÃÂpuhi marked the iwi as a target for retribution. Minor raids by NgÃÂti Awa and their allies Whakatà Âhea and Te WhÃÂnau-ÃÂ-Apanui in 1829 and 1831 resulted in the deaths of some NgÃÂti Porou, which triggered retaliatory action from the iwi. In 1832 NgÃÂti Porou joined forces with NgÃÂpuhi, Rongowhakaata, and Te Aitanga-a-MÃÂhaki to seize Kekeparaoa pàand expel the four hundred Whakatà Âhea members who had come to occupy it after being unilaterally invited to do so by a Te Aitanga-a-MÃÂhaki hapà «. A second 1832 raid, this time against Te WhÃÂnau-ÃÂ-Apanui, did not meet with the same success, as the defenders of Wharekura pàrebuffed the attackers and slew two NgÃÂti Porou rangatira. Two years later, a retaliatory raid by Te WhÃÂnau-ÃÂ-Apanui was in turn rebuffed by forces under the rangatira Kakatarau, whose father Pakura was killed at Wharekura. NgÃÂti Porou then joined forces with Te WeraâÂÂs NgÃÂpuhi and Te Kani-a-TakirauâÂÂs Rongowhakaata to attack Te WhÃÂnau-ÃÂ-Apanui at Te Kaha PointâÂÂs formidable Toka a Kuku pÃÂ. After six months of siege and heavy fighting, including the defeat of numerous sorties and the routing of a relief force of fourteen hundred warriors from Whakatà Âhea, NgÃÂi Tai, and NgÃÂti Awa, the attackers eventually proved unable to seize the pàand returned home. The extraordinary battlefield feats of the Christian NgÃÂti Porou rangatira Piripi Taumata-a-Kura lent him enormous prestige, which he soon leveraged to convert other NgÃÂti Porou rangatira and lead Te WhÃÂnau-ÃÂ-Apanui and NgÃÂti Porou to a peace accord in 1837.
The waning of the Musket Wars and the unifying influence of Christianity ushered in a period of relative calm and cultural development. NgÃÂti Porou chiefs were also signatories to the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. NgÃÂti Porou experienced substantial economic growth during the 1850s.
During the 1860s, the Pai MÃÂrire religious movement spread through the North Island, and eventually came into conflict with the New Zealand Government. From 1865âÂÂ1870, a civil war emerged within NgÃÂti Porou between Pai MÃÂrire converts seeking the creation of an independent MÃÂori state (supported by Pai MÃÂrire from other regions) and other NgÃÂti Porou advocating tribal sovereignty and independence. This conflict is generally viewed as part of the East Cape War.
NgÃÂti Porou once again enjoyed peace and economic prosperity during the late 19th century. The 1890s saw the emergence of Sir ÃÂpirana Ngata, who contributed greatly to the revitalisation of the MÃÂori people. During the early 20th century, the population of NgÃÂti Porou increased substantially. They were active in their participation in both World Wars.
After World War II, large numbers of NgÃÂti Porou began emigrating from traditional tribal lands and moving into larger urban areas, in a trend reflected throughout New Zealand. A large portion of the tribal population now lives in Auckland and Wellington.
Te Rà «nanga o NgÃÂti Porou was established in 1987 to be the tribal authority of the iwi. It is organised into a whÃÂnau and hapà « development branch, economic development branch, and a corporate services branch, and aims to maintain the financial, physical and spiritual assets of the tribe. The common law trust is overseen by a board, with two representatives from each of the seven ancestral zones. As of 2022, the Rà «nanga is based in Gisborne, and is chaired by Selwyn Parata, with George Reedy as the chief executive.
The trust administers Treaty of Waitangi settlements under the Ngati Porou Claims Settlement Act, represents the iwi under the MÃÂori Fisheries Act, and is the official iwi authority for resource consent consultation under the Resource Management Act. Its rohe is contained within the territory of Gisborne District Council, which is both a regional and district council.
Radio NgÃÂti Porou is the official station of NgÃÂti Porou. It is based in Ruatoria and broadcasts on in Tikitiki, at Tolaga Bay, in Gisborne, in Ruatoria, and at Hicks Bay.
There are many notable people who are affiliated to NgÃÂti Porou. This is a list of some of them.