maintained a distinct identity, they have been associated with Maungatapu.³⁵ Ngati Ruahine have participated in this inquiry only to a limited extent, but they have asserted interests along the Waimapu River and use rights in the inland bush areas.³⁶ Ngai Te Ahi’s interests also ran along both sides of the Waimapu River, from Hairini and Poike on the coast to Oropi and Waoku in the bush.³⁷ The customary interests of Ngati Tapu lay within an area stretching from Otumoetai, Te Papa, and Matapihi inland to Maenene in the bush. During the Ngati Tapu hearing, Tureiti Stockman told of reburying koiwi at Te Ti, the Ngati Tapu urupa at Matapihi, which had been unearthed when a bridge was built at Otumoetai in the 1950s. He pointed to this as evidence of Ngati Tapu’s acknowledged status as one of the tangata whenua groups of Otumoetai. Mr Stockman was also careful to point out that the hapu’s rohe overlapped with that of several other hapu.³⁸

Ngai Tamarawaho held rights in an area extending from Otumoetai, Huria, and Te Papa back to Taumata and Akeake in the bush.³⁹ Further to the west were Ngati Hangarau, their interests extending from Peterehema on the coast along the eastern side of the Wairoa River to the inland kainga of Paengaroa, Te Kaki, and Kaimai.⁴⁰ Desmond Tata gave an enlightening illustration of the relationship between Ngati Hangarau and Ngai Tamarawaho when giving evidence to the Tribunal at Huria Marae. In reaching agreement over the allocation of the inland blocks, Taumata and Paengaroa, the respective rangatira of the two hapu, agreed that Ngati Hangarau were teina (younger sibling) in the Taumata blocks but tuakana (older sibling) in Paengaroa, while Ngai Tamarawaho were teina in Paengaroa and tuakana in Taumata.⁴¹

Ngati Kahu interests also ran along the eastern side of the Wairoa River to the Kaimai watershed, while Ngati Pango and Ngati Rangi (not to be confused with Ngai Te Rangi) had interests on the western side. All three of these related hapu (who submitted a joint claim as ‘the Wairoa hapu’) had interests on both sides of the river toward the Kaimai Range. They had kainga in the inland bush areas at Te Iriranga, Poripori, and Kaimai.⁴² The neighbours of the Wairoa hapu to the west were Pirirakau, whose core area of interest lay between the Wairoa and Waipapa Rivers, with usufructuary rights further west as far as the Aongatete River.⁴³

Turning now to those hapu whose interests were centred on the offshore islands and nearby coastal areas, we begin with three predominantly Matakana-based hapu: Ngai Tuwhi- whia, Ngati Tauaiti, and Ngai Tamawhariua. All three of these hapu had interests on Matakana and Motuhoa, around Mauao, and in the Katikati-Athenree area. Ngai Tuwhiwhia also

35. Document 122, p 3; doc j2, pp 15–16; doc j41, pp6–8; doc j42, p 3

36. Paper 2.343, p 3

37. Document n17, pp 4–5

38. Document h6, p 4; doc n17, pp 4–5

39. Document f20, pp 10–11; doc n23, pp 3–6

40. Document n15, p 3

41. Document f20, p 10

42. Document n14, pp 5–6

43. Document n9, p 7