Ngāti Porou
| Ngāti Porou | |
|---|---|
| Iwi of New Zealand | |
 |
|
| Rohe (region) | East Cape and Gisborne region |
| Waka (canoe) | Horouta |
| Population | 71,910 |
| Website | www |
Ngāti Porou is a Māori iwi traditionally located in the East Cape and Gisborne regions of the North Island of New Zealand. Ngāti Porou is affiliated with the 28th Maori Battalion has the second-largest affiliation of any iwi in New Zealand, with 71,910 registered members in 2006. The traditional tribal boundary of Ngāti Porou extends from Pōtikirua in the north to Te Toka-a-Taiau (a rock that used to sit in the mouth of Gisborne harbour) in the south.
Mt Hikurangi features prominently in Ngāti Porou traditions as a symbol of endurance and strength, and holds tapu status. In these traditions, Hikurangi is often personified. Ngāti Porou traditions indicate that Hikurangi was the first point to surface when Māui fished up the North Island from beneath the ocean. His canoe, the Nuku-tai-memeha, is said to have been wrecked there. The Waiapu River also features in Ngāti Porou traditions.
Ngāti Porou takes its name from the ancestor Porourangi (also known as Porou Ariki). He was a direct descendant of Toi-kai-rākau, who is also regarded as a prominent ancestor of Ngāti Porou. Other ancestors include Māui, accredited in oral tradition with raising the North Island from the sea, and Paikea, the whale rider. Although Ngāti Porou claim the Nukutaimemeha as their foundation canoe, many Ngāti Porou ancestors arrived on different canoes, including Horouta, Tākitimu and Tereanini. The descendants of Porourangi and Toi formed groups that spread across the East Cape through conquest and through strategic marriage alliances.
Associations with other iwi also arise through direct descent from Ngāti Porou ancestors:
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