Who are Ngāti Awa?
He manu hou ahau, he pii ka rere.
I am a new bird, a fledging that has just learnt to fly.
Ngāti Awa Te Tai - Treaty Settlement Stories
Ngāti Awa are the descendants of Te Tini o Toi, the original inhabitants of the region, and the people of Mataatua waka,
which made landfall at Whakatāne after voyaging from Hawaiki around 1300 CE. Most affiliate to hapū who settled areas around the Whakatāne, Rangitāiki, and Tarawera Rivers.
Ngāti Awa’s territory is bordered by other iwi. Te Arawa are to their west, Ngāti Tuwharetoa and Ngāi Tuhoe to the south, and to the east, including Ōpōtiki, are Te Whakatōhea.