The War of Te Kupenga was a conflict in early 1820s New Zealand in which the NgÃÂti Te WhatuiÃÂpiti and NgÃÂti Hinepare hapà « of NgÃÂti Kahungunu fought against NgÃÂti Tà «wharetoa
The war arose out a marriage dispute within NgÃÂti Te WhatuiÃÂpiti. A number of their chiefs responded to this by leading an attack on the east coast of Lake Taupà Â, in which they attacked a hapà « of Tà «wharetoa with only a tangential connection to the dispute. NgÃÂti Tà «wharetoa responded with an attack on the heartland of NgÃÂti Te WhatuiÃÂpiti in the Ahimanawa Range, led by the young Mananui Te Heuheu Tà «kino II. The war ended when the rest of NgÃÂti Kahungunu chose not to seek revenge for this attack. Alongside battles with NgÃÂti Maru, the war of Te Kupenga played an important role in Te Heuheu's rise to become paramount chief of NgÃÂti Tà «wharetoa, a position still held by his family today.
NgÃÂti Tà «wharetoa had established themselves around Lake Taupà  in the sixteenth century. In the early nineteenth century, the iwi was only loosely bound together, with two main centres of gravity â NgÃÂti Te Rangiita on the southeast coast of the lake, with its main centre at Motutere, and NgÃÂti TurumÃÂkina at the mouth of the Tongariro River at the south end of the lake. There was a tradition of a paramount chief with some authority over the whole tribe in matters of war, but this position was really a first among equals and, after the death of Herea around 1820, the position had been left vacant.
NgÃÂti Te WhatuiÃÂpiti was a hapà « of NgÃÂti Kahungunu, who had established themselves in the area around Tarawera and Te Harota in the Ahimanawa Range under Te Hikawera in the late seventeenth century. There were two rangatira in the hapà «, Pakapaka and Werewere or Te Pakinga, who belonged to different branches of the descendants of Te Hikawera. Because of their closeness to one another and in order to reunify the branches, they agreed that Pakapaka's son Te Aria would marry Werewere's daughter, Te Uira. However, while Werewere and Te Uira were visiting Taupà Â, Te Uira fell in love with Tumu, a rangatira of NgÃÂti Te Rangiita and married him instead.
Te Aria and his people were furious. Pakapaka gathered a war party to get revenge, along with Haemania, Matatohikura, and Tareahi. However, instead of attacking NgÃÂti Te Rangiita, they attacked NgÃÂti Uemarorangi and killed their main rangatira, Kikitara. They advanced on Motutere, the main fortress of NgÃÂti Te Rangiita, but decided that its fortifications were too strong for them and departed for home in two groups.
The force travelled back to Ahimanawa in two groups: a forward guard of NgÃÂti Te Whatuiapiti and the main force, composed of NgÃÂti Hinepare and the captured war prisoners., which was commanded by Te Matatohikura. When the advance force reached Te Hatepe, they killed a local man called Taupà Â. He was related to NgÃÂti Hinepare â two of his sons were actually in the war party. When the main body learnt about the murder, Te Matatohikura executed the killers.
In the meanwhile, however, Taupà Â's daughter, Kahu, had escaped and set out to inform her relative, Mananui Te Heuheu Tà «kino II about the murder and to get him to take revenge. When she approached Waimarino pÃÂ, she sang the following song, which is preserved by Hoata Te Hata and John Te Herekiekie Grace, and forms part of a larger song preserved in ÃÂpirana NgataâÂÂs Nga Moteatea:
The younger brother of Kikitara was present at Waimarino and heard this. He agreed to go on to Te HeuheuâÂÂs village at Te Rapa and seek his support in avenging both the murder of Taupà  and the death of Kikitara.
As a result of KahuâÂÂs appeal, Te Heuheu II gathered a force from the whole of NgÃÂti Tà «wharetoa and set out, reaching the homeland of NgÃÂti Te Whatuiapiti in the Ahimanawa Range in six days. They attacked and destroyed the villages of Te Toropapa and Tahau the day after their arrival. The day after that they surrounded Te Kupenga, capturing it after five daysâ siege. The important NgÃÂti Te Whatuiapiti rangatira Te Wharetoetoe was killed.
As a result of the war, NgÃÂti Te Whatuiapiti were driven across the Mohaka River, which became the new border between NgÃÂti Tà «waretoa and NgÃÂti Kahungunu. Te Hueheu set up border posts on the Titiokura saddle, to mark the boundary, and hung Te Wharetoetoe's head on the path from the saddle to Taupà Â, naming the location Te Whakairinga-o-te-upoko o Wharetoetoe.