Te Whakatà Âhea is a MÃÂori iwi of the eastern Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand. Their traditional territory extends along the coastline eastwards from à Âhiwa Harbour to Opape, and inland to MÃÂtÃÂwai, and is centred in the area around the town of à Âpà Âtiki. These lands have long held an abundance of food resources, particularly seafood. All their historical pàwere situated near the coast, to defend the marine resources.
In the 2006 Census, 12,072 people claimed an affiliation with Te Whakatà Âhea.
One of Te Whakatà Âhea's earliest ancestors was chief Tarawa and his brother Tuwharanui, who had been left behind when the Te Tohoràwaka left Hawaiki, and so built Te Arautauta waka to join the rest of their people in New Zealand. They arrived at PaerÃÂtÃÂ, east of the Waiotahe River. Tarawa released two pet tanahanaha fish into a spring on the eastern bluff above Waiotahe Beach, which came to be known as à Âpà Âtiki-mai-tawhiti. Tarawa continued up the Mà Âtà « River and married Manawa-ki-aitu.
The tribe's next prominent ancestor was Tautà «rangi of his own Te Wakanui tribe, who arrived with the Nukutere waka around 26 generations before 1900CE. It made landfall on a rocky cove and was moored to a flat white rock now known as Te Rangi. Tautà «rangi then sailed the waka around to Te Kà Âtukutuku and went ashore, where he went up the Waiaua Valley to a high point named Kapuarangi where he installed his atua, Tamaëwaho.
Nine generations after the arrival of Nukutere, the next waka to arrive was MÃÂtaatua which landed at WhakatÃÂne with kà «mara, and carried the ancestress Muriwai, the eldest daughter of Wekanui and IrÃÂkewa whose other two children, sons, were Toroa and Puhi. The three siblings also had a half brother, TÃÂneatua. In Te Whakatà Âhea's traditions Muriwai spoke the famous words , or , which is roughly translated to "make me stand like a man" as MÃÂtaatua was being swept back out to sea, while Muriwai's brothers and their men were scouting the land. It was these words that gave her the right to pull the waka back to safety, and from these words being spoken at the landing place that Whakatane gets its name. Toroa's daughter Wairaka was an ancestress of NgÃÂti Awa and NgÃÂi Tà «hoe.
Muriwai's son RÃÂpanga went to à Âpà Âtiki and married NgÃÂpoupereta, their descendant Ruatakena became the ancestor of NgÃÂti Ruatakena. Muriwai's daughter Hine-i-kauia followed RÃÂpanga and married Tà «tÃÂmure, born eight generations after Tautà «rangi's arrival in New Zealand. He established the eastern boundary between the tribes of Te Wakanui and NgÃÂi Tai at Tà Ârere, and inland from Te Rangi cove to à Âroi. He led an attack against NgÃÂti Kahungunu's pàat MaungakÃÂhia to avenge the murder of his sister TÃÂneroa, murdered by her husband. Tautà «rangi's attacks were so vicious that he broke his weapon, a mere, and had to swap it for another more durable mere made of whalebone. With this he smashed the heads of his enemies, and buried them in the ground. For this his people became known as Te Panenehu ("the buried heads").
Tautà «rangi established the Poutà Âtara pàinland at Waiaua to defend against further attacks from NgÃÂti Kahungunu. The ancestral house at Omarumutu marae is named Tutamure and the dining room is named Hine-i-kauia, and behind the marae Tautà «rangi occupied another pàon the MÃÂkeo hill. Their descendants would become Te Whakatà Âhea.
Tautà «rangi's western counterpart was Kahuki of the WhakatÃÂne hapà «. Kahuki conquered the nearby territory in revenge for the killing of his father Rongopopoia, after which he returned to Waiotahe and constructed a pàclose to the river. WhakatÃÂne and NgÃÂti Raumoa, including the Te à ªpokorehe hapà «, were living on Waiotahe and à Âhiwa land which were under Kahuki's control. Te à ªpokorehe were subjected to attacks from NgÃÂti Awa on the western border, and sought refuge at à Âpà Âtiki. NgÃÂti Awa and their ally NgÃÂi Tà «hoe would meet with Whakatà Âhea and their chief Te Rupe for one final battle at à Âhope. Te Rupe was able to boost his peoples' moral with the haka Te kà Âtiritiri te kà Âtaratara, and won the battle.
Before the arrival of the Europeans, the final, defining battle against NgÃÂi Tai was done at Awahou under PunÃÂhamoa's leadership. NgÃÂi Tai's leader Tà «terangikà «rei was killed, and his head preserved as a trophy. NgÃÂi Tai were able to take Tà «terangikà «rei's head back in exchange for the pounamu adze Waiwharangi, which today is held in the WhakatÃÂne Museum.
The iwi initially had good relations with European settlers and Christian missionaries. However, in 1865, following the murder of German missionary Carl Völkner, and with increasing demands from European settlers for more land, Crown soldiers invaded Te Whakatà Âhea land. Almost 600 km<sup>2</sup> of Whakatà Âhea land was confiscated by the Crown under the New Zealand Settlements Act of 1863. All the hapà « were crowded into one area, the à Âpape Native Reserve.
During the twentieth century there was increasing recognition that Whakatà Âhea had suffered grievances at the hands of the Crown. In 1996, the New Zealand government signed a Deed of Settlement, acknowledging and apologising for the invasion and confiscation of Whakatà Âhea lands, and the subsequent economic, cultural and developmental devastation suffered by the iwi. A settlement between Whakatà Âhea and the Crown and redress was finalised on 27 May 2023.
Tuiringa Manny Mokomoko, an activist for tà «puna who died in 1866, received a Royal Pardon in 1992 over wrongful confiscation of MÃÂori land.
Whakatà Âhea consists of about 17,000 whÃÂnau belonging to six hapà «.
The status of Te à ªpokorehe, a tribal group covering an area between à Âhope and à Âpà Âtiki, is in dispute. It was included as a hapà « within Whakatà Âhea when the Whakatà Âhea MÃÂori Trust Board was established in 1952. Some consider it part of Whakatà Âhea and want it to be part of the iwi's Treaty of Waitangi settlement, while others consider it a separate iwi and want it to have its own Waitangi Tribunal hearing and settlement.
The Whakatà Âhea MÃÂori Trust Board was established in 1952 to administer the assets of the iwi, and provides members with education, health services and training in various commercial fields. It is a charitable trust governed by two representatives from each of the six hapà «, and based in à Âpà Âtiki. It is also accountable to the Minister of Maori Affairs and is governed by the Maori Trust Boards Act. The trust represents the tribe's fisheries interest under the MÃÂori Fisheries Act 2004, and its aquaculture interests under the MÃÂori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act 2004. It represents the tribe during consultation on resource consent applications under the Resource Management Act 1991.
The Whakatà Âhea Pre-Settlement Claims Trust represents the tribe during Treaty of Waitangi settlement negotiations. The New Zealand Government recognised the trust's mandate to represent the iwi with an Agreement in Principle signed with the Crown on 18 August 2017. The trust is governed by one trustee elected from each of six hapà «, one trustee appointed from each of eight marae, and an additional trustee appointed by Whakatà Âhea MÃÂori Trust Board. The trust is administered by the same staff as the trust board, in the same offices in à Âpà Âtiki.
Roimata Marae say they aren't represented on the trusts and the trusts cannot act on their behalf.
The tribal area of Whakatà Âhea is located within the boundaries of à Âpà Âtiki District Council and Bay of Plenty Regional Council.
Pan-tribal iwi station Sea 92FM broadcasts to members of Whakatà Âhea, NgÃÂitai and Te WhÃÂnau-ÃÂ-Apanui in the à Âpà Âtiki area. It is operated by pan-tribal service provider Whakaatu Whanaunga Trust, and is available on . It operates the low-power Opotiki 88.1 FM, geared towards a young demographic.