TE IWI MUAUPOKO

Ko Kurahaupo te waka
Ko Tararua te maunga
Ko Punahau te roto
Ko Hokio te awa
Ko Kohuturoa raua ko Kawiu nga marae
Ko Punahau, Ngārue, Ngāi Te Ao, Ngāti Tamarangi, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Whanokirangi, Ngāti Pariri nga Hapū
Ko Muaūpoko te Iwi
Whakahono, kia tu kaha Muaūpoko

Muaūpoko are the descendants of Tara, the eponymous ancestor of the Ngai Tara tribe. He was a great great grandson of Kupe of the Matahourua waka and a son of Whatonga of the Kurahaupo Waka. He and their descendants discovered, explored and named places throughout Aotearoa, and these remain on the land, coast and sea today, most notably Te Whanganui ā-Tara (Wellington).

Muaūpoko developed as a separate and unique Iwi over time and established its own hapu, areas of occupation, use and access to resources from the western side of the Rimutaka and Tararua ranges to Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington) , Porirua, Kapiti Coast, Horowhenua, Manawatu to Rangitikei. One source for the origin of the tribal name Muaūpoko is derived from living at the head of the fish .

Muaūpoko has shared ancestry, history, occupation and alliances with Ngai Tara, Ngati Rangi, Ngati Ira, Rangitane, Ngati Kahungunu, Ngati Apa and Whanganui Iwi within this area. In the 1820s through to the 1860s various Iwi from Kawhia, Taranaki and the Maungatautari districts migrated, invaded and settled in these areas. This reduced the Muaūpoko population and the area of land directly under their direct influence. In the 1870s the Maori Land Court and the Crown confined Muaupoko to Horowhenua. Today, the Muaūpoko Iwi is principally located in Taitoko (Levin) area.

Population: The 2006 Census estimates the Muaūpoko iwi to include 2,499 members, and Schedule 3 of the Māori Fisheries Act 2004 gives a notional population of 1901 for Muaūpoko. The current number of individuals enrolled on the register is over 4000. The actual population of the Muaūpoko Iwi is undoubtedly larger than either of these figures and the MTA is confident increase registration process.

Evidence of Major Kemp: (Rangihiwinui); Tuesday November 19th 1872; Otaki Maori Land Court Minute Book 2; link:
Te Whanagnui a Tara me ona Takiwa Report; Waitangi Tribunal; pg 492: link
Waitangi Tribunal District 12 Report – The Wellington District: Port Nicholson, Hutt Valley, Porirua, Rangitīkei, Manawatū; pg 4: link
Te Whanagnui a Tara me ona Takiwa Report; Waitangi Tribunal pg 35: link

For more information click here

Waitangi Tribunal Oral history of Muaūpoko click here.

Waitangi Tribunal Report 2017 (WAI 2200) Horowhenua, The Muaūpoko Priority Report click here.