Ngati Ranginui
Encyclopedia
Ngāti Ranginui is a Māori iwi
centred in Tauranga
in the Bay of Plenty
region of New Zealand
. Ngāti Ranginui is one of the three Tauranga Moana tribes, maintaining close ties with Ngāi Te Rangi and Ngāti Pūkenga
. In the 2001 census, 6,120 people claimed affiliation to the iwi, representing 9 hapu
and 10 marae
. The Tauranga Moana iwi recognise Mt Maunganui (or Mauao) as sacred. Ngāti Ranginui presently occupy the shoreline of Tauranga Moana.
canoe
. Ranginui was the brother of Kahungunu (the founding ancestor of Ngāti Kahungunu
) and Whaene. His brothers eventually moved to other regions of the North Island
, while he remained in Tauranga, settling along the Wairoa River. His descendants would eventually form the Ngāti Ranginui iwi.
In 1864, the Tauranga Moana iwi collectively fought against Crown troops stationed in Tauranga. A notable victory occurred at Gate Pā
, but eventually thousands of hectares of land was confiscated. Ngāti Ranginui continues to seek redress with the New Zealand Government for their losses in the New Zealand Land Wars
of the 1860s, together with the other Tauranga Moana iwi.
Iwi
In New Zealand society, iwi form the largest everyday social units in Māori culture. The word iwi means "'peoples' or 'nations'. In "the work of European writers which treat iwi and hapū as parts of a hierarchical structure", it has been used to mean "tribe" , or confederation of tribes,...
centred in Tauranga
Tauranga
Tauranga is the most populous city in the Bay of Plenty region, in the North Island of New Zealand.It was settled by Europeans in the early 19th century and was constituted as a city in 1963...
in the Bay of Plenty
Bay of Plenty
The Bay of Plenty , often abbreviated to BOP, is a region in the North Island of New Zealand situated around the body of water of the same name...
region of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Ngāti Ranginui is one of the three Tauranga Moana tribes, maintaining close ties with Ngāi Te Rangi and Ngāti Pūkenga
Ngati Pukenga
Ngāti Pūkenga is a Māori iwi centred in Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand. According to the 2006 census, 1,785 people claimed affiliation to the iwi. Ngāti Pūkenga is one of the three Tauranga Moana tribes, maintaining close ties with Ngaiterangi and Ngāti Ranginui. The Tauranga...
. In the 2001 census, 6,120 people claimed affiliation to the iwi, representing 9 hapu
Hapu
A hapū is sometimes described as "the basic political unit within Maori society".A named division of a Māori iwi , membership is determined by genealogical descent; a hapū is made up of a number of whānau groups. Generally hapū range in size from 150-200 although there is no upper limit...
and 10 marae
Marae
A marae malae , malae , is a communal or sacred place which serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies...
. The Tauranga Moana iwi recognise Mt Maunganui (or Mauao) as sacred. Ngāti Ranginui presently occupy the shoreline of Tauranga Moana.
History
Ranginui is the founding ancestor of the iwi. In Tauranga traditions, Ranginui was the son of Tamatea-pokai-whenua from the TakitimuTakitimu
In several Māori traditions, the Tākitimu was one of the great Māori migration canoes that brought Polynesian migrants to New Zealand from Hawaiki. It was one of the seven canoes in the "Great Fleet hypothesis" proposed by historian Stephenson Percy Smith .-Māori Traditions:The Tākitimu appears in...
canoe
Maori migration canoes
Various Māori traditions recount how their ancestors set out from their homeland in great ocean-going canoes . Some of these traditions name a mythical homeland called Hawaiki....
. Ranginui was the brother of Kahungunu (the founding ancestor of Ngāti Kahungunu
Ngati Kahungunu
Ngāti Kahungunu is a Māori iwi located along the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The iwi is traditionally centred in the Hawke’s Bay and Tararua and Wairārapa regions....
) and Whaene. His brothers eventually moved to other regions of the North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
, while he remained in Tauranga, settling along the Wairoa River. His descendants would eventually form the Ngāti Ranginui iwi.
In 1864, the Tauranga Moana iwi collectively fought against Crown troops stationed in Tauranga. A notable victory occurred at Gate Pā
Gate Pa
Gate Pā was the name of a Māori Pā or fortress built in 1864 only from the main British base of Camp Te Papa at Tauranga, during the Tauranga Campaign of the New Zealand Land Wars...
, but eventually thousands of hectares of land was confiscated. Ngāti Ranginui continues to seek redress with the New Zealand Government for their losses in the New Zealand Land Wars
New Zealand land wars
The New Zealand Wars, sometimes called the Land Wars and also once called the Māori Wars, were a series of armed conflicts that took place in New Zealand between 1845 and 1872...
of the 1860s, together with the other Tauranga Moana iwi.