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Ngāti Kahungunu

Ngāti Kahungunu is a Māori iwi located along the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The iwi is traditionally centred in the Hawke's Bay and Wairārapa regions. The Kahungunu iwi also comprises 86 hapū (sub-tribes) and 90 marae (meeting grounds).[1]

Ngāti Kahungunu

Hawke’s Bay, and Wairārapa regions

82,239 (c. 2018)

The tribe is organised into six geographical and administrative divisions: Wairoa, Te Whanganui-ā-Orotū, Heretaunga, Tamatea, Tāmaki-nui-a Rua and Wairarapa. It is the 4th largest iwi in New Zealand by population, with 82,239 people identifying as Ngāti Kahungunu in the 2018 census.[2]

Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated (NKII)[edit]

Organisational structure of NKII[edit]

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. The organisation re-emerged with a new constitution in 1996 under the name Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated (NKII). An election was held in 1997, resulting in the establishment of an elected board of trustees and a new mandate to govern iwi development.[20] Elections are held every three years, and all adults with a whakapapa link to a hapū of Ngāti Kahungunu are eligible to vote. The chairperson of the board of trustees usually represents the iwi in political affairs.


In accordance with the constitution of Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Inc, the board of trustees consists of ten tangata whenua representatives:[21]

Maniaiti Marae

Whaanga, Mere (21 December 2006). . Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 1 July 2007. Retrieved 5 April 2007.

"Ngati Kahungunu"

Parsons, Patrick (1997). (PDF). Retrieved 10 July 2022.

WAI 400: The Ahuriri Block: Maori Cusomary Interests

: Contains information on registering for the Iwi and lyrics to some of their songs, including Pōkarekare Ana.

Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated website