| Ngāti Maniapoto | |
| Iwi of New Zealand | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Rohe (location) | Waikato-Waitomo |
| Waka (canoe) | Tainui |
| Population | 27,168 |
Ngāti Maniapoto is an iwi (tribe) based in the Waikato-Waitomo region of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the Tainui confederation, the members of which trace their whakapapa (genealogy) back to people who arrived in New Zealand on the waka (canoe) Tainui. The 2001 New Zealand census shows the iwi to have a membership of 27,168 [1], making it the 8th biggest iwi in New Zealand.
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There are many marae in the Maniapoto area, the most notable being Te Tokanga Nui A Noho [2] at Te Kuiti in the King Country. This marae was gifted to Ngāti Maniapoto by Te Kooti, a Rongowhakaata tribesman who sought refuge from the British colonial army during the New Zealand land wars. Of equal significance but less publicly known is Tiroa Pā where the last Io Whare Wananga was held in a specially crafted whare called Te Miringa Te Kakara.
Ngāti Maniapoto was involved the land wars (1845-72), and the Waikato-Waitomo or Nehenehenui region which they controlled was often a retreating point for allied iwis to fall back to after being pushed south by British forces.
After the land wars, Taonui Hikaka (paramount chief of Ngāti Maniapoto) and the warrior chiefs Rewi Manga Maniapoto and Wahanui negotiated with the colonial government to allow the Main Trunk railway line through Ngāti Maniapoto territories. This was done because of word that the Maori King Tawhiao and Te Kooti were also trying to negotiate with the British colonial government for rail access and to set up Native Land Courts throughout the region. This could have meant that the Ngāti Maniapoto tribe would become landless. It is said that, when Tawhiao found out what they had done, he angrily threw his hat onto a survey map of the Ngāti Maniapoto territory and claimed the area where the hat fell as Te Rohe Potae, the land of the hat of the King. To day this territory is called the King Country, in reference to this event.