Te TÃÂkinga was a MÃÂori rangatira (chief) of the iwi NgÃÂti Pikiao in the Te Arawa confederation of tribes in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand. He played a decisive role in the wars between NgÃÂti Pikiao and Tà «hourangi over Lake Rotoiti, which resulted in NgÃÂti Pikiao taking control of the lake. He is also the founder of the NgÃÂti Te TÃÂkinga hapà «.
Te TÃÂkinga was the son of Pikiao the younger, through whom he was a direct descendant of Pikiao, founder of NgÃÂti Pikiao, and of Tama-te-kapua, who captained the Arawa canoe from Hawaiki to New Zealand. Tà «tÃÂnekai murdered Te TÃÂkinga's grandfather, leading NgÃÂti Pikiao to relocate from Owhata to Lake Rotokakahi and Lake Tarawera. After NgÃÂti Pikiao murdered relatives of Tà «tÃÂnekai, he sacked the pàof Moura on Lake Tarawera in revenge, but NgÃÂti Pikiao were at Te Puwha on the eastern side of Tarawera, when Moura was taken, so they survived and relocated to Matata, then to Otamarakau and Pukehina, before being invited to Te Puia on Lake Rotoehu by Pikiao's friend Matarewha.
Tà «tÃÂnekai and his people went to visit his Tuhourangi cousins at Tumoana pàon Lake Rotoiti. During some friendly sparring, Tà «tÃÂnekai's son Tamakuri was accidentally killed. Tà «tÃÂnekai and his people fled. Meanwhile, the Tuhourangi people took Tamakuri's body to Omawhiti, where they ate it. Tà «tÃÂnekai went seeking allies in getting revenge for this. Having been refused by more natural allies, Tà «tÃÂnekai eventually decided to seek help from his former enemies, NgÃÂti Pikiao. He went to Te Puia, walked right in and sat down between Te TÃÂkinga and his father Pikiao. Matarewha, raised his club to kill Tà «tÃÂnekai and Te TÃÂkinga winked at him, encouraging him to do the deed, but Matarewha decided not to, because he was afraid that he would hit Pikiao or Te TÃÂkinga by accident. Tà «tÃÂnekai managed to make peace with Tà «tÃÂnekai and convinced them to join him in his attack on Tuhourangi. They brought the local members of Waitaha into the expedition as well. Tà «tÃÂnekai then returned home.
Te TÃÂkinga and Matarewha led an army from Waitangi hot springs, along Te Komutunga ridge to Tumoana. When they reached the pÃÂ, it was nighttime and they encountered and killed a lady called Turukutia, who had been fishing for kà Âura. Te TÃÂkinga and Matarewha led a small group of the attackers appeared before Tumoana at dawn and challenged the Tuhourangi defenders to fight, while the rest of the attackers hid some distance away. Tuhourangi attacked, the Te TÃÂkinga and Matarewha's group feigned a retreat, leading the Tuhourangi back to their main force, which ambushed and defeated them. This was called the battle of Harakekengunguru. During the feigned retreat, Te TÃÂkinga tripped over a tree root and sprained his ankle at a place called Parua. He would have been killed by the Tuhourangi warriors, but his brother Hinekura leapt out and rescued him. Te TÃÂkinga's other brother, Te Rangiunuora "took the last fish" of the battle (i.e. made the final kill), when he killed Whioi, as he attempted to swim to safety. The war party then captured Tumoana, ate the men they had killed and enslaved the rest.
After this, the war party travelled to Pareteiro and lit a fire to call Tà «tÃÂnekai to come with canoes to collect the victorious warriors. When they reached Mokoia, they gave Tà «tÃÂnekai the body of Whioi, as compensation for the death of Tamakuri. In return, Tà «tÃÂnekai gave them a huge canoe called Whanaupukupuku. The war party took this canoe and two others along Lake Rotoiti to Tapuaeharuru, where they carried the canoes over to Rotoehu. When they got home, they killed all of the prisoners except for one woman, Te Aoniwaho, who was married by a NgÃÂti Pikiao rangatira called Kotiora.
Kotiora mistreated Te Aoniwaho, so she helped her father to assassinate him. Te Whakatane of NgÃÂti Pikiao led an attack on the Tà «hourangi in revenge, sacking Unaatekapua pàand killing the rangatira Te Karerepounamu. In response to this, two Tà «hourangi rangatira, Te Heroro and Te Herapunga launched a war party from Te Weta Bay, which landed at Tapuaeharuru and advanced along the Tahuna path towards Lake Rotoehu. On this path, they encountered and killed three of Te TÃÂkinga's sons - Te Rangikaheke, Tutaki, and Ruamoko - in the Battle of Kotarahure. Some sources say that Te TÃÂkinga's sons were leading a NgÃÂti Pikiao and Waitaha war party, others that they had only a small band. After the battle, Te Heroro and Te Herapunga returned home with the bodies of Te TÃÂkinga's sons.
To get revenge for his sons' death, Te TÃÂkinga travelled to the Bay of Plenty coast in order to recruit allies from the Waitaha and NgÃÂti Whakahinga. He visited Otomarakau, Kaikokopu, Pongakawa, Matamanu, and Tupuki and received promises of support from the chiefs of Waitaha: Te Kanewa, Tuteumu, Te Rawahirua, Tutumanga, and Tuweweia. They planned for the Waitaha forces to attack Tà «hourangi at Te Weta from the northeast, while NgÃÂti Pikiao would attack the same pàfrom Lake Rotoiti. The Waitaha forces were led by Tutumanga, who mustered at Maketà «, marched along the Kaharoa trail to Otuheroa by Lake Rotoiti, where they sent out scouting parties. These scouts came to a place called Te Parapara, where there were lots of ducks and they froze, afraid to move, in case the ducks flew off en masse and alerted the Tà «hourangi of their approach. Tutumanga sang a karakia (incantation) to silence and freeze the ducks. They continued on and attacked Te Weta, without waiting for NgÃÂti Pikiao. Meanwhile, the NgÃÂti Pikiao forces arrived, led by Te Poke in the canoe Tamateatuapiko. They captured a woman called Pukerimu, swimming away from Te Weta. She accidentally revealed Te Heroro who was also swimming away, with his head hidden under a large bowl, so they pulled him up and killed him. Te Herapunga was killed by Te Kanewa, defending Te Weta from the Waitaha.
The forces moved on to Pukurahi pÃÂ, where they stacked wood next to the palisade and set it on fire. The leader of the defenders, Waitawhiti, went up the puwhara (watchtower) and revealed that the pÃÂ contained the baby Karaewahanui, a grandson of Hinekura (Te TÃÂkinga's brother). Hinekura convinced Te TÃÂkinga and Tutumanga to abandon the attack. The force moved on to Titaka, but abandoned that attack in turn because the pÃÂ contained Te Wharekaikino, son of Te Koru of Waitaha. Similarly, the force attacked and then withdrew from Paehinahina, because Hinekura's son Puwhakaoho was there. The force captured Kakanui pÃÂ and killed very many people. The force came to Motuohiwa and killed the rangatira Parapara and Te Taniwha. Motutawa was captured and Kaorewhare was killed. The forces captured Pukeroa and the rangatira there, Kauhaterangi, fled to Te Kopuakino, but they captured Kopuakino on the same day and killed Kauhaterangi. Then they took Makamakahinaki, but the rangatira, Te Wharearangatiki, fled to Te Urunga.
After the capture of Makamakahinaki, Te TÃÂkinga called a hui (meeting) of all the forces at Opatia. He declared that he had got his revenge and instructed the Waitaha and NgÃÂti Whakahinga to return home. The surviving Tà «hourangi gathered at Paeehinahina, Pukurahi, and Motutawa under Te Rangipuawhe.
In Te TÃÂkinga's old age, Tà «hourangi had largely rebuilt their position around Lake Rotoiti, so he decided to launch a final expedition to drive them out once and for all. They set out from Tapuaeharuru in two canoes, Te Tuhiterata and Tamateatuapiko. Te TÃÂkinga captained Te Tuhiterata, along with Hinekura, Te Rangiunuora, Whakatane, Ruatai, Te Heheu, and Tokihapai. Tamateatuapiko was captained by Takaeuewa, Tuteumu, and Puku. The canoes stopped for the night at Ngatiti. At dawn, Tokihapai captured a woman called Kaitohi, who had been out singing. They interrogated her and used the information to attack and capture Kotipu pÃÂ, which was run by her father Te Rangiawharetiki (who escaped from the attackers). They discovered from the prisoners that most of the pÃÂ's inhabitants were in the forest at Kohangakaeaea, making canoes under the leadership of Purakau son of Paraoa, so they attacked and killed those people. Then they returned home to Rotoehu.
A little while later, Te TÃÂkinga set out in Te Tuhitarata once more and landed at Purakau. He went on his own to Motutawa pÃÂ, the major remaining Tà «hourangi stronghold on the lake. There he found Te Rangipuawhe, eating the preserved flesh of one of his sons who had been killed at Kotarahure. Te Rangipuawhe conceded that he could not give recompense for the death of the sons, so he voluntarily led his people away from Rotoiti to settle on Lake Tarawera and Lake Rotokakahi (the island Motutawa in Lake Rotokakahi is named in memorial of Motutawa pÃÂ).
Four of Te TÃÂkinga's sons came to Motutawa and divided the conquered land between themselves. Kiore received Mourea and Waikarangatia. Mangà  and Manene got the land north of Ohau Stream. Te Awanui got the land between Pukurahi and Pukearuhe. They travelled north along the Kaituna River, surveying the area. At Turirau, the rangatira Te Huia gave Mangà  a feast, but a disagreement took place, which culminated in the four brothers killing Te Huia and placing his head on a rewarewa stake. The place where this happened was named Te Upoko o Te Huia (the head of Te Huia) as a result. In a subsequent battle, they drove off some new settlers, led by Poia and Miromiro, from this area.
Te TÃÂkinga married Hinekiri, Hineui, and Hineora (daughter of Te Ra of Waitaha) and had children with all three of them:
Te TÃÂkinga is the ancestor of the hapà « NgÃÂti Te TÃÂkinga. Their marae and wharenui, located at Mourea, are both named Te Takinga in his honour.