About Our Kāinga - Maketū

Founding and early settlement

Ngāti Pūkenga is a Māori iwi of Mātaatua waka descent, with its traditional rohe centred in the Bay of Plenty and Tauranga Moana. The iwi descends from the tūpuna Pūkenga, whose people established enduring connections across the region. These connections have long included Maketū, reflecting generations of movement, settlement, and relationship-building.

Maketū as a kāinga

At Maketū, Ngāti Pūkenga are one of the ahi kā iwi, maintaining a long-standing presence through occupation, intermarriage, and whakapapa. While some descendants formed relationships with Te Arawa and settled more widely in the region, Ngāti Pūkenga have continued to uphold their connection to Maketū across many generations.

Ngāti Pūkenga at Maketū share Te Awhe Marae with neighbouring iwi of the Bay of Plenty. The marae is a place of gathering, remembrance, and continuity, where tūpuna are buried and where descendants continue to live, return, and maintain cultural ties today.

Land and settlement history

During the nineteenth century, following periods of conflict and alliance, Ngāti Pūkenga at Maketū were gifted the Waewaetutuki land block. This gift recognised acts of manaakitanga and the defence of the area and formed part of wider inter-iwi arrangements often referred to as the Paengaroa settlement.

Cultural significance of Maketū

Maketū and its surrounding estuaries have long been important mahinga kai and travel routes within the Bay of Plenty. For Ngāti Pūkenga, the area represents not only sustenance and movement, but also enduring relationships with whenua, moana, and neighbouring iwi that continue to shape the identity of the kāinga today.

Read More Here >

Latest News