Ngāti Kahungunu
Māori iwi
Ngāti Kahungunu (Māori pronunciation: [ˈŋaːti ˈkahʉŋʉnʉ]) is a Māori iwi (tribe) 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).
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.
Early history
Pre-colonisation
Ngāti Kahungunu trace their origins to the Tākitimu waka, one of the Māori migration canoes which arrived on New Zealand's North Island around 1100–1200 AD, according to Ngāti Kahungunu traditions. According to local legend, Tākitimu and its crew were completely tapu. Its crew comprised men only: high chiefs, chiefs, tohunga and elite warriors. No cooked food was eaten before or during the voyage. The captain of Tākitimu was Tamatea Arikinui.
The public source identifies “Ngāti Kahungunu” as māori iwi. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Ngāti, Kahungunu and Māori.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Ngāti Kahungunu”, the useful work is to connect “māori iwi” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1138165. The Library of Congress control number is sh2004004951. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2018, 1100 and 1200.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Ngāti Kahungunu”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Ngāti Kahungunu primary sources, Ngāti Kahungunu archive and Ngāti research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Ngāti Kahungunu”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Ngāti Kahungunu” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.