Ngāti Raukawa is a

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

iwi with traditional bases in the

Waikato Waikato () is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsul ...

, Taupo and Manawatu/

Horowhenua Horowhenua District is a territorial authority district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand, administered by Horowhenua District Council. Located north of Wellington and Kapiti, it stretches from slightly north of the town of ...

regions of

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

. In 2006, 29,418 Māori registered their affiliation with Ngāti Raukawa.

History

Early history

Ngāti Raukawa recognise Raukawa, son of Tūrongo and Māhina-o-rangi, as their eponymous ancestor, who was descended from the settlers of the ''

Tainui Tainui is a tribal waka confederation of New Zealand Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa and Waikato. There are ...

canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the ter ...

. One of his descendants was Maniapoto, ancestor of the

Ngāti Maniapoto Ngāti Maniapoto is an iwi (tribe) based in the Waikato-Waitomo region of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the Tainui confederation, the members of which trace their whakapapa (genealogy) back to people who arrived in New Zealand on th ...

iwi. Ngati Raukawa established their ancestral homeland in the Waikato region. In the mid-17th century, the Ngāti Raukawa ''rangatira''

Whāita Whāita was a Maori ''rangatira'' (chieftain) of the Ngāti Raukawa iwi in the Tainui tribal confederation based at Wharepuhanga near Rangitoto in the Waikato region, New Zealand and is the ancestor of the Ngāti Whāita '' hapu''. He probably live ...

, Tama-te-hura, and

Wairangi Wairangi was a Maori people, Maori (chieftain) of the Ngāti Takihiku of the Ngāti Raukawa in the Tainui tribal confederation from the Waikato region, New Zealand and the ancestor of the Ngāti Wairangi . He probably lived in the mid-seventeent ...

conquered the section of the upper

Waikato river The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand, running for through the North Island. It rises on the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and flowing through Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake. It th ...

between

Putāruru Putāruru is a small town in the South Waikato District and the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It lies on the western side of the Mamaku Ranges and in the upper basin of the Waihou River. It is on the Oraka Stream 65 kilometre ...

and

Ātiamuri Ātiamuri is a former hydro village in the central North Island of New Zealand. It lies alongside State Highway 1 about 27 km south of Tokoroa and 38 km north of Taupō. It is bordered by the Waikato River and surrounded by pine plantat ...

in the Ngāti Raukawa–Ngāti Kahu-pungapunga War. After this war, Wairangi settled the area south of Whakamaru and his descendants, the Ngāti Wairangi, now share Mōkai

marae A ' (in New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan), ' (in Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies. In all these languages, the term a ...

with a number of other hapu. Whāita took the section furthest up the river, around Pōhatu-roa and his descendants, the Ngāti Whāita, have their marae at Ōngāroto, on the north bank of the Waikato River, a little west of Ātiamuri. In the early 19th century, significant numbers of Ngāti Raukawa were forced south during the

Musket Wars The Musket Wars were a series of as many as 3,000 battles and raids fought throughout New Zealand (including the Chatham Islands) among Māori between 1807 and 1837, after Māori first obtained muskets and then engaged in an intertribal arms rac ...

. Led by

Te Whatanui Te Whatanui (died 1846) was the leading chief of the Ngāti Raukawa ''iwi'' (Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māor ...

and other chiefs, they joined

Ngāti Toarangatira Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...

in a southwards migration through the North Island, which proceeded in three stages. Land was taken from Rangitikei to Kapiti, where a large number of

pā The word pā (; often spelled pa in English) can refer to any Māori village or defensive settlement, but often refers to hillforts – fortified settlements with palisades and defensive terraces – and also to fortified villages. Pā sites ...

were built and subtribes established. This brought the new settlers into conflicts with established tangata whenua in the southern parts of the North Island. Four of the subtribes, Ngāti Waewae, Ngāti Pikiahu, Ngāti Matakore and Ngāti Rangatahi, are based on the Te Reureu block, between the Waitapu and Rangitawa Streams, at Kakariki, beside the

Rangitīkei River The Rangitīkei River is one of New Zealand's longest rivers, long. Its headwaters are to the southeast of Lake Taupō in the Kaimanawa Ranges. It flows from the Central Plateau south past Taihape, Mangaweka, Hunterville, Marton, and ...

Modern history

Ngāti Raukawa has undergone great change in the 20th century. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, many Ngāti Raukawa left their traditional lands and migrated to cities. Starting in 1975, a determined effort was made to revitalise traditional language and establishments. Ngāti Raukawa have established a large number of

and other institutions, including Raukawa Marae and Te Wānanga o Raukawa, a centre for higher learning. Administrative organisations include the Raukawa Trust Board and Te Rūnanga o Raukawa.

Media

Raukawa FM

Raukawa FM Raukawa may refer to : * Raukaua, plant * Ngāti Raukawa, tribe * Merepeka Raukawa-Tait (fl. ''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to ha ...

is the official station of Ngāti Raukawa. It was set up by Te Reo Irirangi o Ngati Raukawa Trust on 23 October 1990. Many of its first hosts were Tokoroa High School students, and most of its staff are still volunteers. It broadcasts on in

Tokoroa Tokoroa ( mi, Te Kaokaoroa o Pātetere) is the fifth-largest town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand and largest settlement in the South Waikato District. Located 30 km southwest of Rotorua, close to the foot of the ...

, in

Mangakino Mangakino is a small town on the banks of the Waikato River in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located close to the hydroelectric power station at Lake Maraetai, southeast of Hamilton. The town and its infrastructure are administered as ...

, and across the wider

Waikato region Waikato () is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsul ...

. The station was co-founded by Emare Rose Nikora and Whiti te-Ra Kaihau. Nikora was a leader of the Māori language revival movement, and was the station's first

Māori language Māori (), or ('the Māori language'), also known as ('the language'), is an Eastern Polynesian language spoken by the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. Closely related to Cook Islands Māori, Tuamotuan, and ...

newsreader, manager and board member. She was recognised for her work with a Queen's Service Medal for services to Māori.

Te Upoko O Te Ika

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by ...

pan-tribal Māori radio station Te Upoko O Te Ika has been affiliated to Ngāti Raukawa since 2014. It began part-time broadcasting in 1983 and full-time broadcasting in 1987, making it the longest-running Māori radio station in New Zealand.

Notable people

Hori Ahipene Hori Ahipene is an actor and director in theatre, film and television in New Zealand. He's also an award-winning playwright with the Māori play ''Hide 'n Seek'' co-written with Hone Kouka. He became a well known face in New Zealand for his dramat ...

, actor and director * Tungia Baker, actress *

Georgina Beyer Georgina Beyer (born November 1957) is a New Zealand politician and former Labour Party Member of Parliament. In 1995 she was elected mayor of Carterton, making her the world's first openly transgender mayor. In 2005 she became the world's ...

, world's first transgender mayor and parliamentarian * Nancy Brunning, actress and director * Jolene Douglas, artist *

Eddie Durie Sir Edward Taihakurei Durie (born 18 January 1940) was the first Māori appointed as a judge of a New Zealand court. He is of Rangitāne, Ngāti Kauwhata and Ngāti Raukawa descent; Mason Durie (1889–1971) was his grandfather. Early life ...

, judge * Mason Durie, psychiatrist * Mihi Edwards, memoirist, social worker, teacher and

kaumātua A kaumātua is a respected tribal elder of either sex in a Māori community who has been involved with their whānau for a number of years. They are appointed by their people who believe the chosen elders have the capacity to teach and guide both ...

* Billy Guyton, rugby union player *

Patricia Grace Patricia Frances Grace (; born 17 August 1937) is a New Zealand Māori writer of novels, short stories, and children's books. She began writing as a young adult, while working as a teacher. Her early short stories were published in magazines ...

, author * Karl Leonard, carver and weaver * Jaimee Lovett, canoeist * Haane Manahi, soldier * Ike Robin, sportsman, businessman and orator *

Te Rangiataahua Kiniwe Royal Te Rangiātaahua Kiniwē Royal (1896–1965) was a notable New Zealand tribal leader, land officer, Māori welfare officer, soldier, and sportsman. Of Māori descent, he identified with the Ngāti Raukawa and Ngāti Tamaterā iwi. He was b ...

, tribal leader, soldier and sportsman * Jacinta Ruru, academic * Harata Solomon, teacher and religious leader * Bruce Stewart, playwright * Kingi Te Ahoaho Tahiwi, teacher and interpreter * Pirimi Pererika Tahiwi, teacher and community leader * Codie Taylor, rugby union player *

Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal is a New Zealand musician, academic, and Māori music revivalist. He is of Ngāti Whanaunga, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Tamaterā, and Ngā Puhi descent. He received a Bachelor of Music from Victoria University of Welli ...

, academic *

Hana Te Hemara Hana Mere Te Hemara (16 February 1940 – 10 October 1999) was a prominent Māori people, Māori activist and leader. Biography Te Hemara, of Te Āti Awa and Ngāti Raukawa descent, was the seventh of 12 children, born in Te Āti Awa, Puketapu ...

, Māori activist *

, tribal chief * Hēnare Mātene Te Whiwhi, tribal leader and chief * Inia Te Wiata, singer, actor and carver * Rima Te Wiata, singer, comedian and actress * Mahinārangi Tocker, singer-songwriter *

Rota Waitoa Rota Waitoa (? – 22 July 1866) was a New Zealand Anglican clergyman, of Māori descent. Waitoa identified with the Ngati Raukawa iwi. He was born in Waitoa, Waikato, New Zealand. Waitoa's ordination as deacon at St Paul's, Auckland, on 22 ...

, Anglican clergyman

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

Raukawa Settlement Trust
South Waikato
Te Wānanga o Raukawa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ngati Raukawa