Te Arawa is a confederation of

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 Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

and

hapū In Māori language, Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief ...

(tribes and sub-tribes) of

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

who trace their ancestry to the '' Arawa'' migration canoe (''waka''). The tribes are based in the

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. It is sited on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authorities of New Zea ...

and

Bay of Plenty The Bay of Plenty () is a large bight (geography), bight along the northern coast of New Zealand's North Island. It stretches from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runaway in the east. Called ''Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi'' (the Ocean ...

areas and have a population of around 60,117 according to the 2018 census, making the confederation the sixth biggest iwi in New Zealand. The Te Arawa iwi comprises 56

(sub-tribes) and 31

marae A ' (in Māori language, New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian language, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan language, Tongan), ' (in Marquesan language, Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan language, Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves reli ...

(family groupings).

History

Te Arawa iwi are descended from people who migrated to New Zealand on the ''Arawa'' canoe. They settled in the

Bay of Plenty region The Bay of Plenty Region is a Regions of New Zealand, local government region in the North Island of New Zealand. Also called just the Bay of Plenty (BOP), it is situated around the Bay of Plenty, marine bight of that same name. The bay was name ...

, principally around the

Rotorua lakes Rotorua Lakes District or Rotorua District is a territorial authority district in the North Island of New Zealand. It has one urban area of significant size, the city of Rotorua. The district is governed by Rotorua Lakes Council, which is headqu ...

. Three main subtribes developed:

Ngāti Pikiao Ngāti Pikiao is a Māori iwi (tribe) of New Zealand. They are one of the iwi within the Te Arawa tribal confederation. Their rohe (territory) centres on Lake Rotoiti and the area east of the Kaituna River in the Bay of Plenty. History Ngāti ...

occupied the eastern end of Lake Rotoiti and the area around Lake Rotoehu and

Lake Rotomā Lake Rotomā (also spelled Rotoma) is the fourth largest lake of the 11 lakes in the Rotorua Lakes district in the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island. Lake Rotomā is the easternmost in the chain of three lakes to the northeast ...

;

Tūhourangi Tūhourangi is a Māori iwi of New Zealand with a rohe centered on Lake Tarawera, Lake Rotomahana, Lake Okaro, Lake Okareka, Lake Rotokākahi, Lake Tikitapu and Lake Rotorua. It is part of the Te Arawa tribal confederation. Their marae include ...

occupied the upper

Kaituna River The Kaituna River is in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is the outflow from Lakes Rotorua and Rotoiti, and flows northwards for , emptying into the Bay of Plenty at Maketu. It was the subject of a claim concern ...

, western Lake Rotoiti and the south-east side of

Lake Rotorua Lake Rotorua () is the second largest lake in the North Island of New Zealand by surface area, and covers 79.8 km2. With a mean depth of only 10 metres it is considerably smaller than nearby Lake Tarawera in terms of volume of water. It i ...

including

Ōhinemutu Ohinemutu is a suburb in Rotorua, New Zealand. It includes a living Māori village and the original settlement of Rotorua. Demographics The statistical area of Kuirau, which corresponds to Ohinemutu, covers and had an estimated population o ...

;

Ngāti Whakaue Ngāti Whakaue is a Māori iwi, of the Te Arawa confederation of New Zealand, tracing its descent from Whakaue Kaipapa, son of Uenuku-kopakō, and grandson of Tūhourangi. The tribe lives in the Rotorua district and descends from the Arawa w ...

, formerly known as Te Uri o Uenukukōpako, occupied

Mokoia Island __NOTOC__ Mokoia Island is located in Lake Rotorua in New Zealand. It has an area of 1.35 square kilometres. The uninhabited island is a rhyolite lava dome, rising to 180 metres above the lake surface. It was formed after the Rotorua caldera c ...

and the north-west side of Lake Rotorua. Many Te Arawa men fought for the colonial government in the

New Zealand Wars The New Zealand Wars () took place from 1845 to 1872 between the Colony of New Zealand, New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori people, Māori on one side, and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other. Though the wars were initi ...

that took place in the North Island in the mid-19th century. Perhaps in part, for this reason, the iwi chose to negotiate directly with the

New Zealand Government The New Zealand Government () is the central government through which political authority is exercised in New Zealand. As in most other parliamentary democracies, the term "Government" refers chiefly to the executive branch, and more specifica ...

over their historical grievances, bypassing the

Waitangi Tribunal The Waitangi Tribunal (Māori: ''Te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi'') is a New Zealand permanent commission of inquiry established under the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975. It is charged with investigating and making recommendations on c ...

. A series of negotiations has resulted in several settlements of their various claims, the largest of which involve the settlement relating to the 14 lakes, signed in December 2004, and the settlement for all the historical claims of a cluster of Te Arawa iwi and hapu signed on 30 September 2006. The Government apologised to Te Arawa for breaches of the

Treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...

and paid $36 million in compensation, including up to 500 km² of Crown forest land, as well as 19 areas of special significance, including the Whakarewarewa Thermal Springs Reserve. On 18 December 2015 Te Arawa gained the right to vote in committee meetings of the Rotorua Lakes Council via an iwi partnership board, Te Tatau o Te Arawa. Te Arawa FM is the radio station of Te Arawa iwi, including Ngāti Pikiao, Tūhourangi and Ngāti Whakaue. It was established in the early 1980s and became a charitable entity in November 1990. The station underwent a major transformation in 1993, becoming Whanau FM. One of the station's frequencies 99.1 was taken over by

Mai FM Mai FM is New Zealand's largest urban contemporary radio network, promoting Māori language and culture and broadcasting hip hop and rhythm and blues. It is located in Auckland, and is available in twelve markets around the country. The network ...

in 1998; the other became Pumanawa 89FM before later reverting to Te Arawa FM. It is available on in

the 99.1 frequency is now broadcasting commercial station

The Heat 991 FM ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

which started broadcasting 15 April 2015.

Constituent iwi and hapu

The iwi and hapu that constitute Te Arawa include:

Ngāti Rangiteaorere Ngāti Rangiteaorere is a Māori iwi of the Te Arawa confederation of New Zealand. The iwi is based on the eastern shores of Lake Rotorua, also sharing interests with other iwi on Mokoia Island and in coastal lands near Maketu. Te Arawa FM is ...

, Ngāti Mākino, Ngāti Rangitihi, Ngāti Rangiwewehi,

Tapuika Tapuika is a Māori iwi of New Zealand. See also *List of Māori iwi This is a list of iwi (New Zealand Māori tribes). List of iwi This list includes groups recognised as iwi (tribes) in certain contexts. Many are also hapū (sub-tribes) ...

, Waitaha, Ngāti Ngararanui, Ngāti Rongomai, Ngāti Tahu – Ngāti Whaoa,

Ngāti Tarāwhai Ngāti Tarāwhai is a Māori iwi of the Rotorua area of New Zealand, and a member of the Te Arawa confederation of tribes. The iwi's rohe (tribal area) covers the western shore of Lake Ōkataina. The tribe's carving has been noted historically ...

Ngāti Te Roro o Te Rangi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

, Ngāti Kea Ngāti Tuara, Ngāti Tura-Ngāti Te Ngakau, Ngāti Uenukukōpako,

Ngāti Hei Ngāti Hei is a Māori iwi of New Zealand. Ngāti Hei is generally recognised as the dominant tribe of the Mercury Bay area. There has always been much speculation as to the origins of Māori people. Historians agree that Māori arrived in Aot ...

Ngāti Huarere Ngāti Huarere is a Māori iwi. It descends from Huarere, who arrived via the '' Arawa'' in the 14th century. History Ngāti Huarere was established by Huarere, the third son of Tuhoromatakakā in the mid to late 14th century. Tuhoromatakakā ...

and Ngāti Wāhiao.

Notable People

Manu Bennett Jonathan Manu Bennett (born 10 October 1969) is an Australian-New Zealand actor. He is primarily known for portraying characters in epic fantasy works, such as Crixus in the TV series ''Spartacus'', Allanon in ''The Shannara Chronicles'', Sl ...

, Actor * Tāmati Coffey, Presenter and former MP *

Cliff Curtis Clifford Vivian Devon Curtis (born July 27, 1968) is a New Zealand actor and film producer. After working in theatre, he made his film debut in Jane Campion's Academy Awards, Oscar-winning film ''The Piano'' (1993), followed by a breakout role ...

, Actor * Kepa Ehau, Māori leader and nationally acclaimed orator *

Te Ururoa Flavell Te Ururoa James William Ben Flavell (born 7 December 1955), also known as Hemi Flavell, is a New Zealand politician. Born in Tokoroa, Flavell was a teacher, principal, and education executive before beginning a political career. He won the Wai ...

, Former minister and co-leader of TPM *

Gillies Kaka Gillies Gene Kaka (born 28 May 1990 in New Zealand) is a New Zealand Olympian rugby union player for the Hino Red Dolphins. Career Kaka plays for the New Zealand National Rugby Sevens team. He made his debut at the Wellington Sevens. Kaka ha ...

, Olympian and NZ rugby union player * Troy Kingi, Artist * Sir

Howard Morrison Sir Howard Leslie Morrison (18 August 1935 – 24 September 2009) was a New Zealand entertainer. From 1964 until his death in 2009, he was one of New Zealand's leading television and concert performers. Morrison was also known for his active ...

, Entertainer *

Scotty Morrison Ian "Scotty" Morrison (born April 22, 1930) is a Canadian former National Hockey League referee and vice-president, and the former president and chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Morrison played junior hockey in Quebec and then became a refe ...

, Writer and broadcaster * Stacey Morrison, TV host and MC *

Temuera Morrison Temuera Derek Morrison (born 26 December 1960) is a New Zealand actor who first gained recognition in his home country for playing Dr. Hone Ropata on the soap opera ''Shortland Street''. He garnered critical acclaim for starring as Jake "The M ...

, Actor *

Mākereti Papakura Margaret Pattison Staples-Browne (née Thom, 20 October 1873 – 16 April 1930), more commonly known as Mākereti or Maggie Papakura, was a New Zealand guide, entertainer and ethnographer. Of and Māori descent, she was of Te Arawa and Tū ...

, Tourist guide and ethnographer *

TJ Perenara Thomas Tekanapu Rawakata Perenara (born 23 January 1992), commonly known as TJ Perenara, is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays as a half-back for the Black Rams Tokyo in the Japan Rugby League One. He has previously played for the Hu ...

, NZ rugby union player *

Maisey Rika Maisey Rika is a New Zealand singer, songwriter and composer, performing in both English and Māori language, Māori. Her five original albums have each reached the Top 40 in the Official New Zealand Music Chart. She was named an Arts Foundation ...

, Artist * Mita Taupopoki, Māori leader and orator

References

External links

Te Arawa website
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