Ngati Poao Pou

Who were the Ngāti Pāoa? Here, before the Ngāti Pāoa Pou artwork, their story unfolds. Ngāti Pāoa, a Māori iwi, boasts deep connections to the Hauraki and Waikato tribes. Their ancestral lands stretch from the Hauraki Plains to Auckland, encompassing Waiheke Island. They are part of the Marutūāhu confederation, descended from Marutūāhu, a son of Hotunui who arrived on the Tainui canoe. This places them within the larger Tainui tribal group and the Hauraki collective. The Ngāti Pāoa trace their lineage to Pāoa, whose tale intertwines with the Tainui waka and the Waikato and Hauraki tribes. Pāoa’s grandfather, Pikiao, seeking a son, journeyed from Te Arawa to Waikato, where he married Rereiao. Their son, Hekemaru, fathered Mahuta and Pāoa. Pāoa initially lived with his first wife and children near Taupiri but later moved to Hauraki, marrying Tukutuku. Their children settled around the Hauraki Plains, eventually spreading to the Firth of Thames and the Hunua Ranges. By the 1700s, they frequented the Tāmaki isthmus, North Shore, and Coromandel Peninsula. Ngāti Pāoa established settlements along the Tamaki River, including present-day Panmure, around 1780. They engaged in numerous battles to the north, securing peace settlements by 1805. More recently, in 2018, the Ngāti Pāoa demonstrated their continued engagement by supporting Ngāti Whātua-o-Ōrākei in a Supreme Court case. That same year, the Māori Land Court intervened in a dispute over the tribe’s representation. The Ngāti Pāoa Pou artwork stands as a testament to this rich history, connecting us to the enduring legacy of the Ngāti Pāoa.