Ngāti Rangitihi is a Māori 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,...

 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...

, located 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...

.

Ngati Rangitihi is the senior tribe of Te Arawa

Te Arawa

Te Arawa is a confederation of Māori iwi and hapu based in the Rotorua and Bay of Plenty areas of New Zealand, with a population of around 40,000.The history of the Te Arawa people is inextricably linked to the Arawa canoe...

. The 8 beating hearts of Te Arawa come under the umbrella of Rangitihi (the people of Rangitihi).

History

Ngati Rangitihi history is carved into the pole beside of the Rangiaohia wharenui at the Matata Pa and at Tamatekapua wharenui at Te Papaiouru Marae at Rotorua

Rotorua

Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. The city is the seat of the Rotorua District, a territorial authority encompassing the city and several other nearby towns...

, Ngati Rangitihi is the carved figure at the top of the pole, the 8 beating hearts are below Rangitihi. Their hapu, Ngati Mahi and Ngati Tionga are the recognised hapu of Ngati Rangitihi today.

The Ngati Tionga hapu has occupied (Ahika) Otamarora (Matata

Matata, New Zealand

Matata is a town located in the North Island of New Zealand. The town is 24 kilometres to the north-west of Whakatane. The population of Matata in the 2001 Census was 666....

) since 1700, under the chiefs Rohi, Tewhareiti, Tionga, Tangihia Tionga and Porione Tangihia.

Pre-1928, carvings were green. The Whare Nui was named Tionga.

The Tionga Marae was located on Lot 5, Arawa Street, Matata, where it was owned by members Tangihia family. In the late 1880s Ngati Mahi renovated the Tionga marae, replacing the thatch with an iron roof and the raupo wall panels with sawn timber. In 1928 a tornado lifted the marae building up and carried it to its present location. It was renamed the Rangiohia Whare nui and has been maintained by Ngati Mahi ever since.
Rohe (traditional lands)
The recognised Rohe of Ngati Rangitihi as submitted to the Waitangi Tribunal

Waitangi Tribunal

The Waitangi Tribunal is a New Zealand permanent commission of inquiry established under the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975...

 in evidence during an urgent hearing in February 2002. It was not challenged by the legal Counsel for the Crown, Tuwharetoa ki Kawerau or Ngati Awa

Ngati Awa

Ngāti Awa is a Māori iwi centred in the eastern Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand.Ngāti Awa comprises 22 hapu , with 15,258 people claiming affiliation to the iwi in 2006. The Ngāti Awa people are primarily located in towns on the Rangitaiki Plain, including Whakatane, Kawerau, Edgecumbe, Te...

 who were all present at the time.

The Ngati Rangitihi land (rohe) extends from the East side of the Tarawera River

Tarawera River

The Tarawera River is in the Bay of Plenty Region in the North Island of New Zealand.It flows from Lake Tarawera, northeastwards across the northern flanks of the active volcano Mount Tarawera, and past the town of Kawerau before turning north, reaching the Bay of Plenty six kilometres to the west...

 mouth to Otamarakau, inland to Lake Rotoehu

Lake Rotoehu

Lake Rotoehu is the smallest in a chain of three lakes to the northeast of Lake Rotorua in New Zealand's North Island. It is located between the city of Rotorua and town of Whakatane. The southern end of the lake occupies part of the Okataina caldera...

, through Lake Rotoma

Lake Rotoma

Lake Rotoma is the fourth largest lake of the 11 lakes in the Rotorua Lakes district, or the Hot Lakes district as it was known in the early decades of the 20th century. The Rotorua lakes are located in New Zealand's North Island in the Bay of Plenty Region...

 and through Lake Okataina

Lake Okataina

Lake Okataina is the northernmost and largest of four smaller lakes lying between Lake Rotorua and Lake Tarawera in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The others are Lake Rotokakahi , Lake Tikitapu , and Lake Okareka...

 and Lake Tarawera

Lake Tarawera

Lake Tarawera is the largest of a series of lakes which surround the volcano Mount Tarawera in the North Island of New Zealand. Like the mountain, it lies within the Okataina caldera. It is located 18 kilometres to the east of Rotorua, and five kilometres to the west of the mountain...

. South into the Kaingaroa Forest

Kaingaroa Forest

Kaingaroa Forest is the largest forest in the North Island of New Zealand, and the largest plantation in the southern hemisphere.The forest covers 2900 km² in the inland East Cape and Bay of Plenty regions, and stretches south past the east coast of Lake Taupo...

. East including the western third of the Matahina Block. Pokohu and Putauaki and out to the coast following the line of the Tarawera River.