Ko Te Tai Tamahine e
Mai te Whanganui o Hei
Ki te maunga teitei Moehau o Tama
Whiti atu ki Tokatea o Hei nui e
Titiro mai ngā kanohi o Ohinau me Rua Maahu e
Ki uta te rohe kura o Ngāti Hei e
– Tikaokao
From the eastern seaboard
To the Great Bay of Hei
To the sacred mountain urupā of Tamatekapua
To Tokatea, the mountain urupā of Hei nui
From the eyes that are the island citadels of Ohinau and Ruamaahu (Alderman Is.)
That look inland toward the domains of Ngat Hei
Ngāti Hei can trace its roots to the arrival of Kupe, the great Pacific navigator, who sailed the waka Matahourua from Ra’iātea (Tahiti) to Aotearoa in 950AD, making first landfall at Whitianga a Kupe (The crossing place of Kupe). Toitehuatahi followed in 1100AD, occupying Whitianga, naming Te Paeroa o Toi (Coromandel Ranges), and founding the hapu, Te Tini o Toi. Ngāti Hei are the descendents of Hei o Te Arawa, the esteemed spiritual tauira (authority), navigator and twin brother of Tia, who took up occupation of the Whitianga district circa 1250AD. Hei and Tia were sons of Atuamatua and uncles of Tamatekapua, the namesake of the mountain, Moehau.
Ngāti Hei were reputed to be peaceable seafaring people, artisans, and expert fashioners of stone. Occupying the most richly resourced area in the country, the tribe flourished and expanded their influence from Maketu (Waitaha) to Whangarei (Tahuwhakatiki). Throughout history their resilience has been tested due to numerous raiding parties repeatedly challenging the tribe for their assets, resources and lands. Ngāti Hei tribal numbers were greatly impacted by the incursion of aggressors wielding muskets in the early 1800’s.
The Ngāti Hei rohe reflects a long-standing ahi kā (continuous occupation), with an uninterrupted contemporary area of interest running along the eastern seaboard of the Coromandel Peninsula, from Onemana in the south to Whangapoua in the north, and including the offshore islands extending from Repanga (Cuvier) and Ahuahu (Gt Mercury) to the Ruamaahua (Aldermans) and Whakahau (Slipper Island). Ngāti Hei has extensive pā, wāhi tapu, taonga, and sites of cultural significance across this rohe.
Today, the iwi numbers approximately 500 registered iwi members. The main marae is, Ko Te Ra Mātiti, at Wharekaho. Ngāti Hei have their offices and centre of operations at Te Rito, on Buffalo Beach in Whitianga.
The Ngāti Hei Deed of Settlement was initialled in 2017. The Ngāti Hei Claims Settlement Bill (2022) is currently before Parliament and is expecting its third reading and Royal Assent sometime in 2026/2027. Our Settlement, carefully managed, will see the economic, social and cultural revitalisation of the iwi.
Ngāti Hei are active kaitiaki in te taiao, both in the whenua and the moana.
For more about our history see this Wikipedia entry.
Our Waitangi Tribunal Claim was negotiated by our team of elected negotiators: Joseph Davis, Peter Johnston and Peter Matai Johnston. These negotiations were completed and a Post Settlement Governance Entity (PSGE) established in 2017 – the Hei o Wharekaho Settlement Trust. The job of the PSGE is to put in place the necessary structures and governance needed to receive the settlement redress and manage these assets effectively for the benefit of the Ngāti Hei iwi.
Current trustees
The Ngāti Hei Trust was formed in 1984 as a charitable trust that represents the interests of all Ngāti Hei iwi members (beneficiaries). Its purpose is to promote and safeguard the spiritual, economic, social and cultural wellbeing of descendants of Hei (mana tangata) and to retain, reclaim and develop the traditional lands, islands and seas of Ngāti Hei (mana whenua, mana moana). The board trustees (up to 12) are elected annually.
Current trustees
The Hei o Wharekaho Trust administers the Māori land block (Kuaotunu 6C2B1 Land Block) and Ko Te Ra Matiti.
Current trustees
The Kuaotunu 6C2B2 Trust administers the Māori land block associated with the Urupā at Wharakaho.
Current trustees
The Hauraki Collective
The Hauraki Collective was established to represent the 12 iwi of Hauraki in historical Treaty of Waitangi settlement negotiations. The members of the Hauraki Collective are made up of the elected negotiators for the 12 iwi of Hauraki.
www.haurakicollective.maori.nz
The Hauraki Maori Trust Board
The Hauraki Māori Trust Board (HMTB) represents the 12 iwi of Hauraki: Ngāti Hako, Ngāti Hei, Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Paoa, Patukirikiri, Ngāti Porou ki Harataunga ki Mataora, Ngāti Pūkenga ki Waiau, Ngāti Rāhiri-Tumutumu, Ngāi Tai, Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāti Tara Tokanui, and Ngaati Whanaunga. Its collective mission is to support the Iwi and hapū of Hauraki to maintain their rangatiratanga, kaitiakitanga and mana tangata status. It does this by delivering business and whānau development programmes.
The HMTB also oversees the Pare Hauraki Fishing Trust (PHFT) which holds, manages and administers the trust fund for every charitable purpose benefiting the iwi of Hauraki.