About us
Ko Wai
O taatou koorero tuku iho
Before Aotea waka touched our shores, we walked these lands.
Our names echo through the valleys, along the coast and cling to the ridgelines — Te Ihonga, Tieke, Tapuarau, Pootiki-aa-Rehua, Oturooriki, Te Kiri-o-Rauru, Moerangi, Ngaa Ariki, Te Ihupuku.
These are not just names, they are memories carved into our whenua, threads that bind us to the beginning.
From Rauru came Raakaumaaui, then Te Ao-whakatiri, then Tuu-te-rangi-pouri, then Pourangaahue, Te Ika-waiwaha, and the many Tara of Te Kahui Tara.
Through them, our hapuu took shape, some still strong today, still calling, still holding fast.
When Turi arrived on Aotea, the river was already named — Te Awanui-a-Taikehu — a testament to Te Kaahui Maunga, to Taikehu, to our stories already rooted deep.
Turi’s children would settle and grow, their descendants fanning across our rohe, to Paatea, to Whenuakura, to Waitootara, and beyond.
And in time, the lines between waka and whenua, between Te Kaahui Rere and Aotea, began to blur.
Yet still we remember. We remember who we were, who we are.
We are Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi — not born of one moment, but of many generations, woven together with mana, whakapapa, and the voices of our tuupuna carried on the wind.
Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi Rohe
The rohe of Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi at 1840 began at Kaihau-a-Kupe (the mouth of the Whanganui River). The kaainga or occupied sites at Kaihau-a-Kupe included Kaihokahoka (ki tai), Kokohuia (the swampy area at Castlecliff), Te Whare Kaakaho (the Wordsworth Street area), Pungarehu/Te Ahi Tuatini (Cobham Bridge), Te Oneheke (between Karamu Stream and Churton Creek), Patupuhou, Nukuiro, and Kaieerau (St John’s Hill).
The rohe then extended from Kaieerau along the watershed to Motuhou, Kaihokahoka (ki uta), Taurangapiupiu, Taumatarata, Maataimoana, Taurangakawa and north into the Matemateaonga Ranges and the area known as Tawhiwhi. After the Matemateaonga Ranges, is the Mangaehu Stream where the Mangaehu Paa was situated, near the source of Te Awanui-a-Taikehu (Paatea River). Between Te Awanui-a-Taikehu and Whenuakura Rivers (Te Arei o Rauru) were the paa of Maipu and Hawaiki.
Many Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi paa and kaainga were also situated along Te Awanui-a-Taikehu, such as Oowhio, Kaiwaka, Arakirikiri, Ngaa-papa-tara-iwi, Tutumaahoe and Parikaarangaranga. At the mouth of the river sat the kaainga and marae of Rangitaawhi and Wai-o-Turi which remain today. Along the shoreline between Rangitaawhi and Tuaropaki lies Te Kiri o Rauru. Between Rangitaawhi and the mouth of the Whenuakura River stood Tihoi Paa (where Te Rauparaha rested).
From Tihoi the rohe extends to Waipipi, Tapuarau, Waitootara River, Waiinu, Waikaramihi and Te Wai-o-Mahuki (near Te Ihonga). It continues past the Ototoka Stream to Poopoia (the marae of Aokehu at the mouth of the Okehu Stream), and then continues onwards to the mouth of the Kai Iwi Stream near the marae of Taipake Tuturu. From here the rohe stretches past Tutaramoana (he kaitiaki moana) back to Kaihau-a-Kupe.
"Ko Pahitonoa te waka
Ko Rauru te tangata ki runga
Ko Te Rangi-tohu-tuu te hoe"
Establishment of Te Kaahui o Rauru
Te Kaahui o Rauru was born from the steadfast efforts of Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi to reclaim our tino rangatiratanga and restore our rightful place in the fabric of Aotearoa. Our foundation is anchored in the 2003 Deed of Settlement, which recognised the Crown’s breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and formalises the redress for historical injustices inflicted upon our iwi.
In 1999, Ngaa Uki o Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi mandated the Ngaa Rauru Iwi Authority to negotiate with the Crown. This led to a Terms of Negotiation (2000), an Agreement in Principle (2002), and ultimately, the Deed of Settlement which as signed on 27 November 2003 at Kaipoo Marae. The settlement included cultural, commercial, and financial redress, as well as a formal apology from the Crown.
As part of the settlement, the iwi established Te Kaahui o Rauru as the post-settlement governance entity (PSGE) to receive and manage the settlement assets and responsibilities. Representing the collective will and aspirations of Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi, Te Kaahui o Rauru is tasked with upholding the values of Ngaa Rauru Kiitahitanga — mana motuhake, kaitiakitanga, maatauranga, and deliver on the overarching goal to Whakatipungia Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi through the revitalisation of our reo, tikanga and whakapapa.
Te Kaahui o Rauru exists not only as a guardian of redress but as a visionary platform to drive the social, cultural, environmental, and economic wellbeing of uri, both now and for generations to come.
Our Uri
at a glance
75.2%
Population increase from
2013 - 2023
56%
Are under the age of 30
33%
Are reo Maaori speakers
27.5%
Are home owners
98.7%
Live in private dwellings
** Information obtained from the 2023 Aotearoa Census