Ngāti Kahungunu

[1] The tribe is organised into six geographical and administrative divisions: Wairoa, Te Whanganui-ā-Orotū, Heretaunga, Tamatea, Tāmaki-nui-a Rua and Wairarapa.He married several times during his travels, and as a result there are many North Island hapū that trace their lineage directly back to Kahungunu.She was famously beautiful, and according to legend had issued a challenge to Kahungunu, insulting his charismatic reputation and inviting him to prove himself worthy of her.Over time, some Ngāti Kahungunu hapū settled in the Wairarapa region, finding a relatively peaceful existence there until the arrival of European settlers.When Rākei-hikuroa departed for Heretaunga, Rakai-pāka and his sister Hinemanuhiri remained in the Gisborne area, but they were subsequently defeated in battle and migrated south to the northern Hawke's Bay, where his descendants settled at Nūhaka and became the Ngāti Rakaipaaka hapū.The chief Kotore is said to have coined the name Ngāti Kahungunu in the next generation, shortly before he was killed in an attack led by Te Whānau-ā-Apanui.The west and east banks of the Wairoa were split between the brothers Tapuwae Poharutanga o Tukutuku and Te Maaha, who fought one another, but were subsequently re-joined through intermarriage.In 1807, the Musket Wars broke out as chiefs from the northern Ngāpuhi, now equipped with firearms, launched attacks on weaker tribes to the south.Hence, in late 1823, Te Pareihe led an exodus of Ngāti Kahungunu refugees from Heretaunga to Māhia, setting off from the beach at Waimarama.The spread of European settlement eventually reached Ngāti Kahungunu territory, and led to the rapid acquisition of Māori land by The Crown during the 1850s and 1860s.It convened parliamentary style meetings at Pāpāwai Marae in Wairārapa and at Waipatu in Heretaunga, where key issues of importance for Māori were debated.However, by 1902 Te Kotahitanga had failed to gain recognition from the New Zealand Parliament and was therefore dissolved in favour of local Māori Councils, which were established in 1900.In 1897 they formed the Te Aute College Students' Association and became active participants in public life, often mediating between the Crown and hapū in matters of local land management.Soldiers from the Ngāti Kahungunu region were generally organised into 'D' Company of the battalion, along with men from Waikato, Maniapoto, Wellington and the South Island.The battalion fought in the Greek, North African and Italian campaigns, during which it earned a formidable reputation as an extremely effective fighting force.Following the end of hostilities, the battalion contributed a contingent of personnel to serve in Japan as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force, before it was disbanded in January 1946.For administrative purposes they can be divided into six taiwhenua (regions), from north to south: Wairoa, Te Whanganui-a-Orotū, Heretaunga, Tamatea, Tāmaki nui-ā-Rua, and Wairarapa.It contains twenty-five hapū:[22] In 1988, Te Rūnanganui o Ngāti Kahungunu Incorporated was established as a centralised organisation responsible for iwi development, but it went into receivership in 1994.Because of this, Ngāti Kahungunu has seven separate entities that have (or are in the process of) received their Treaty settlements to govern for their respective affiliate hapu and whanau.It began as Tairawhiti Polytechnic training station Te Toa Takitini 2XY, making two short-term broadcasts on 1431 AM in December 1988, and October and November 1989.