Ngāti Te Ata
Ngāti Te Ata is a Māori iwi from the area around the Manukau Harbour in the Auckland Region of New Zealand.
Ngāti Te Ata were also known as Te Ruakaiwhare, after the tribal guardian who protects the waters of the Manukau Harbour. They occupy the area around Waiuku, the Awhitu peninsula, Huia and the Waitākere Ranges.
The iwi gets its name from the famous woman chief Te Atairehia, a granddaughter of the founding Te Wai-o-Hua chief Te Hua-o-kaiwaka. She was given land in Waiuku after helping the local hapū Ngāti Kahukōkā in its fight against other tribes. Te Atairehia married Tapaue, a Tainui chief who was killed after winning control of a stretch of the Waikato River from Taupiri to Port Waikato. His death was avenged by his youngest son Pāpaka, who secured Waiuku for Ngāti Te Ata with the help of Te Wehi from Aotea Harbour, the grand-nephew and son-in-law to Tapaue.
Te Wairākau was a woman of Ngāti Te Ata who signed the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840.
Ngāneko Minhinnick was a female leader of the iwi in the modern era.
Ngāti Te Ata has the Tāhuna marae in Tāhuna Pā Road near Waiuku.
