Te Roro-o-te-rangi was a 17th-century MÃÂori rangatira (chief) of the NgÃÂti Whakaue iwi within the Te Arawa confederation of tribes, in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand. He forged a peace between Arawa and NgÃÂi Te Rangi after a generation of warfare. Later, he became enmeshed in a conflict with Tamamutu of NgÃÂti Tà «wharetoa, which ultimately led to his death. He is the ancestor of the NgÃÂti te Roro o te Rangi hapà « of NgÃÂti Whakaue.
Te Roro-o-te-rangi was the eldest son of Ariariterangi, through whom he was a descendant of Hinemoa and Tà «tÃÂnekai, and ultimately of Tama-te-kapua and NgÃÂtoro-i-rangi, the captain and tohunga of the Arawa. He had two younger siblings: Te Kata and Tà «nohopà «. When he was grown up, he made his base on Mokoia island on Lake Rotorua.
Before Te Roro-o-te-rangi was born, NgÃÂi Te Rangi had driven Te Arawa out of Maketu and began launching raids on other settlements of Te Arawa. Te Roro-o-te-rangi's uncles, Taiwere and Moekaha each separately led war parties to attack NgÃÂi Te Rangi at Maketu, but both were defeated and killed. Te Roro-o-te-rangi's father, Te Ariarirangi, decided to lead a third war party against Maketu and therefore began building up a coalition. In order to seal an alliance with NgÃÂti HauÃÂ, he married Te Roro-o-te-rangi to HauÃÂ's daughter Kaimatai. Te Ariarirangi then led his forces against Maketu, but his arrogance led them to desert him and he was defeated at the Battle of Kakaho.
Te Roro-o-te-rangi decided to avenge his father's death and gathered together yet another war party, containing a thousand men, and besieged Maketu. As victory was nigh, he heard one of the women of NgÃÂi Te Rangi, called Te Kurauuhirangi, singing a poroporoaki (a funerary eulogy). She called out to Te Roro-o-te-rangi, asking him to spare Maketu and he agreed to do so. As peace offerings, the women of Maketu gifted him a pounamu mere called Kaitangata, a gourd covered in feathers of the toroa (albatross), and a mat made of kahakaha. Finally, several marriages were contracted between Te Arawa and NgÃÂi Te Rangi.
Tamamutu of NgÃÂti Tà «wharetoa gave a kÃÂkahu kura (a cloak made of the red feathers of the kÃÂkÃÂ) to Te Roro-o-te-rangi, but he gave them nothing in return. When Tamamutu sent a messenger to find out why (or, , Te Roro-o-te-rangi cursed Tamamutu. According to D. M. Stafford, Te Roro-o-te-rangi had planned to make a gift eventually, but was offended when Tamamutu showed up in person to demand the gift. As a result of the curse, Tamamutu and his takahoa (personal intimate), Te Rangi-pÃÂtà Âtà Â, gathered a war party of NgÃÂti Tà «wharetoa and set out to get vengeance.
The party travelled down the Waikato River to Hipa-pÃÂtua (near Tapapakuao) where they got out of their canoes and advanced overland. They forged an alliance with NgÃÂti Kea NgÃÂti TuarÃÂ, who had been marginalised by Te Arawa, and met to plan at their pà(fortress), Opukaka, near Patere. The party encountered Te Roro-o-te-rangi's nephews, Tiki and Kaui, and killed them. Tà «wharetoa sources say that Tamamutu was absent when this occurred. Arawa sources say that Tamamutu ambushed the pair as they came to lay fishing nets at the mouth of the Waikuta Stream near Kawaha Point. The site of the attack was renamed Te Karamuramu a Tikitika.
After this, Tamamutu went home, but Te Roro-o-te-rangi's brother Tunohopu allied with NgÃÂti Rangiwewehi and attacked NgÃÂti Kea NgÃÂti TuarÃÂ, so Tamamutu returned with another war party. Tamamutu's second-in-command, Te Rangi-pÃÂtà Âtà  or Tahora, headed off to the northwest coast of Lake Rotorua and attacked the villages of Te Awahou, Weriweri, and Puhirua, quickly seizing them. According to Arawa sources, Te Roro-o-te-rangi gathered his forces on Mokoia and landed at Motutara, but the tohunga with the war party had premonitions of defeat and Te Roro-o-te-rangi's troops began to desert. When Tamamutu attacked, the entire army fled, leaving Te Roro-o-te-rangi and his brother Te Kata alone, to be captured by Tamamutu. Before the battle, Te Roro-o-te-rangi said Ruia taitea, ruia taitea, kia tà « ko taikÃÂkÃÂ, ko ahau anake. ("Shake off the sapwood â retain the strong heartwood. Let those who are afraid leave now. Though alone, I will stay and face the enemy."), which became a whakatauki (proverb). The defeat was called the Battle of TÃÂwharakurupeti.
According to Tà «wharetoa sources, the proverb was said by Tamamutu, who attacked Pukeroa (modern Rotorua city), but was unable to take it until Te Rangi-pÃÂtà Âtà  returned to help him. When they captured Pukeroa, Tamamutu captured Te Roro-o-te-rangi and seized the pounamu tiki called Te Ngako, as compensation for the cloak. As of 1959, this tiki was still in the possession of TamamutuâÂÂs descendant, Ngarimu Haare.
Tà «wharetoa took Te Roro-o-te-rangi to Rotongaio, northeast of Lake Taupà Â, where they cooked him alive in the oven, Umukuri, ate him, and buried him on the western shore of Rotongaio, at Motu-hinahina, except for his head, which was preserved and hung from a kà Âwhai tree. It was left to Te Roro-o-te-rangi's younger brother, Tunuhopu to forge a lasting peace with Tamamutu and NgÃÂti Tà «wharetoa.
Te Roro-o-te-rangi and Kaimatai had children:
The NgÃÂti te Roro o te Rangi hapà « of NgÃÂti Whakaue at à Âhinemutu is named after him. The meeting house at the Te Kuirau or Utuhina Marae is named Te Roro o Te Rangi in his honour.