Ko wai mātou

Te Whanganui ā Orotu identify as descendants of the first people of the area who are linked to the land and to the waters of the region. From Toi, the line of descent extends to Mahu, the very beginning of our people who begat Orotu who resided at Te Whanganui ā Orotu for at least part of his life. Whatumamoa, his son, was born at Te Whanganui ā Orotu and was one of the original owners of the land. The line descends to Turauwha, the principal chief at Otatara when Taraia, son of Kahungunu invaded and conquered Heretaunga 15 generations before 1850. Te Whanganui ā Orotu further establish descent from Tangaroa, god of the sea down through Pania and her child Moremore.

From the earliest of times, Te Whanganui ā Orotu was highly prized for its enormous food resources and its access to major river systems and forest areas. Mahinga Kai identified ancestral rights to areas with Ngāti Tu, Ngāti Matepu and Ngai Te Ruruku ki Tangoio at the Northern end of Te Whanganui ā Orotu. Ngāti Hinepare, Ngāti Maahu and Ngai Tawhao occupied the western portion of Te Whanganui ā Orotu’s shoreline and Ngāti Pārau had ancestral rights to the southern portion of Te Whanganui ā Orotu.