Ngāti Apa is a Māori

iwi 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, ...

(tribe) in

Rangitikei District The Rangitikei District is a territorial authority district located primarily in the Manawatū-Whanganui region in the North Island of New Zealand, although a small part, the town of Ngamatea (13.63% by land area), lies in the Hawke's Bay Regi ...

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 count ...

. Its

rohe The Māori people of New Zealand use the word ''rohe'' to describe the territory or boundaries of '' iwi'' (tribes), although some divide their rohe into several ''takiwā''. The areas shown on the map (right) are indicative only, and some iw ...

(traditional tribal lands) extend between the Mangawhero,

Whangaehu Whangaehu is a settlement in the Rangitikei District and Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. Whangaehu is located near the mouth of the Whangaehu River, a large river flowing from for the crater lake of Mount Ruapehu o ...

, Turakina and Rangitīkei rivers. This area is bounded by

Whanganui River The Whanganui River is a major river in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the country's third-longest river, and has special status owing to its importance to the region's Māori people. In March 2017 it became the world's second natur ...

in the north-west, and

Manawatū River The Manawatū River is a major river of the lower North Island of New Zealand. The river flows from the Ruahine Ranges, through both the Manawatū Gorge and the city of Palmerston North, and across the Manawatū Plains to the Tasman Sea at Foxton ...

in the south-east. The

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 ...

in this district include Tini wai tara, Whangaehu, Kauangaroa, and Parewanui.

History

Ngāti Apa take their name from the ancestor Apa-hāpai-taketake, who was the son of Ruatea. Stories of Apa's deeds place the tribe's origins in the

Bay of Plenty The Bay of Plenty ( mi, Te Moana-a-Toi) is a region of New Zealand, situated around a bight of the same name in the northern coast of the North Island. The bight stretches 260 km from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runaw ...

. To the west of Pūtauaki mountain is a place known to Māori as Te Takanga-a-Apa (the place where Apa fell), so named because, according to one account, it was where Apa was kicked to the ground by the pet

moa Moa are extinct giant flightless birds native to New Zealand. The term has also come to be used for chicken in many Polynesian cultures and is found in the names of many chicken recipes, such as Kale moa and Moa Samoa. Moa or MOA may also refe ...

of a man called Te Awatope. Because he limped after this incident, he was named Apa-koki (Apa with a limp). One explanation for the place name is that Apa fell to his death there. Another account says he was banished from the district after slaughtering Te Awatope's moa. Ngati Apa then found themselves living in the Rotoaira lake district. Apa started sending parts of his tribe south to cultivate the land and have settlements ready before the whole party travelled down. However Apa did not leave until after he had eaten one of Te Awatope's favourite dogs. Te Awatope sought to kill Apa as this dog was his favourite. However, when he went to where Ngati Apa had settled he was told by some people that Apa had been warned the previous evening and had already proceeded south during the night. Many generations later, Ngati Apa were not only descended from Apa Hapaitaketake, but also of Turi captain of Aotea Paerangi normally associated to the Āti Hau and Ngāti Rangi tribes. Some along the Rangitikei River (Papawhenua's descendants) were not only of Kurahaupō, but also of

Matahourua In Māori tradition, ''Matahourua'' was the canoe of the legendary hero Kupe, who, in some accounts, was the discoverer of Aotearoa (New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It ...

. Many Ngati Apa deny any connection to the Bay Of Plenty, Putauaki area. Today Ngāti apa have many Hapū, named here are the ones still active to this day. *Turakina **Ngā Āriki. Ngāti Kiriwheke and Ngāti Rātua *Whangaehu **Ngāti Hikapirau, Ngāti Rangiwaho, Ngāti Rangiwhakaturia and Ngāti Rangipakini The

New Zealand foreshore and seabed controversy The New Zealand foreshore and seabed controversy is a debate in the politics of New Zealand. It concerns the ownership of the country's foreshore and seabed, with many Māori groups claiming that Māori have a rightful claim to title. These ...

was sparked when, on 19 June 2003, New Zealand's Court of Appeal ruled, in the ''Ngāti Apa'' decision, that Māori were entitled to seek "customary title" over areas of New Zealand's foreshore and seabed in the Māori Land Court.

References

External links

''Ngāti Apa''
in Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Apa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ngati Apa