Waikato Tainui

Waikato Tainui
Māori tribal government
Iwi's logo
Iwi's logo
Tribe established~1350
Māori King proclaimed1858
Exiled to King Country1863
Te Whakakitenga o Waikato (previously Te Kauhanganui) founded1889/1890
CapitalNgāruawāhia
Marae68 marae
Government
 • BodyTe Whakakitenga o Waikato
 • QueenNgā Wai Hono i te Pō
 • Executive ChairParekawhia Mclean
Area
*
 • Total8,046 km2 (5,000 sq mi)
Population
 (2018)*
 • Total84,030
 • Density10/km2 (17/sq mi)
Time zoneNZST
Websitewaikatotainui.com
  • area of jurisdiction
    **Enrolled tribal members only

Waikato Tainui, Waikato or Tainui is a group of Māori iwi based in Waikato Region, in the western central region of New Zealand's North Island.[1] It is part of the larger Tainui confederation of Polynesian settlers who arrived to New Zealand on the Tainui waka (migration canoe). The tribe is named after the Waikato River, which plays a large part in its history and culture.[2][3]

Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, the first Māori king, was a member of the Ngāti Mahuta hapu (sub-tribe) of Waikato iwi, and his descendants have succeeded him. The king movement is based at Tūrangawaewae marae (meeting place) in Ngāruawāhia.[3]

The Waikato-Tainui iwi comprises 33 hapū (sub-tribes) and 68 marae (family groupings), with around an estimated population of 84,030 tribal members who affiliate to Waikato-Tainui.[4] Hamilton City is now the tribe's largest population centre, but Ngāruawāhia remains the tribe's historical centre and modern capital.

  1. ^ "Official website of Waikato Tainui". waikatotainui.com. Waikato Tainui. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  2. ^ "Te Puni Kōkiri iwi profile". tkm.govt.nz. Te Puni Kōkiri, New Zealand Government. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  3. ^ a b Royal, Te Ahukaramū Charles. "Te Ara iwi profile". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  4. ^ "Waikato Tainui Registration". www.tfaforms.com. Retrieved 2023-02-01.