Ngati Rehua O Aotea

Ngati Rehua of Great Barrier Island are an iwi (tribe) in their own right. Their people descend directly from Hoturoa, the captain of the Tainui waka (canoe).

Ngati Rehua take their name from an ancestor called Rehua who lived towards the end of the 17th Century and was the son of Mataahu, younger brother to Mkai or Makinui. Makinui was a great warrior chief who conquered the greater Auckland region, after arriving from the Tainui area. He established the iwi known today as Te Kawerau-a-Maki.

Intermarriage over the centuries has occurred between tribes including as Te Kawerau-a-Maki, Ngati Manaia, Ngati Naunau and Ngati Maru.

Great Barrier Island (Aotea) was the first stop off point for many different early Maori because of its proximity to Polynesia.

Legend has it that Maui-Tikitiki-a-Taranga sailed his waka from Hawaikii south to the land of Aotearoa (New Zealand) and when Maui reached Great Barrier some of those who sailed with him, Ngati Turehu, landed and settled on the island. They stayed there for several centuries until the arrival of Toi Te Huatahi descendants and the great waka fleet of 1350AD.

Later, another tribe called Te tini-o-Maruiwi arrived in the Auckland area and became known as Waiohua. One of the subtrimes of Waiohua settled on the island until they were conquered by Ngati Rehua.

Today Ngati Rehua, along with its relations through intermarriage with Ngati Wai (Ngati Manaia) retain the Manawhenua and Manamoana of the island and its surrounding waters.

Ngati Rehua -Ngati Wai Ki Aotea are based at both Motairehe and Kawa Bay where they have two marae. The local people have a future strategy that includes a wide range of issues including customary rights, environmental protection, education, housing and health.

Members of the ACT and Ngati Rehua-Ngati Wai Ki Aotea liaise regularly and respect each other's particular roles.