Our Iwi
Ngāpuhi
The Trailblazers
Independent, entrepreneurial, tenacious, bold
Ngāpuhi is the largest and most dispersed iwi in Aotearoa, and that scale carries through to its personality.
The core value here is tino rangatiratanga — self-determination and the fierce right to chart your own course. This is an iwi shaped by leaders who thought big and acted boldly: Hongi Hika, who sailed to England to advance Ngāpuhi interests on the world stage, and Hone Heke, who famously stood against the erosion of Māori sovereignty.
There's a whakataukī that captures the energy perfectly: "Ngāpuhi kohao rau kai tangata" — Ngāpuhi of a hundred holes, a reference to the fierce independence that runs through the many hapū groupings.
If you sort into Ngāpuhi, you're the type who'd rather take a calculated risk than play it safe.
You see opportunities where others see obstacles, and you're not afraid to go your own way if the old way doesn't serve you.
You value independence deeply — but not at the expense of whanaungatanga, because your bold moves are always about securing the survival and mana of your people.
You're a builder, a challenger, and a bit of a visionary. Whāia te rangatiratanga — go claim your independence.
Ngāti Porou
The Heart of the East
Warm-hearted, proud, unified, steadfast
Ngāpuhi is the largest and most dispersed iwi in Aotearoa, and that scale carries through to its personality.
The core value here is tino rangatiratanga — self-determination and the fierce right to chart your own course. This is an iwi shaped by leaders who thought big and acted boldly: Hongi Hika, who sailed to England to advance Ngāpuhi interests on the world stage, and Hone Heke, who famously stood against the erosion of Māori sovereignty.
There's a whakataukī that captures the energy perfectly: "Ngāpuhi kohao rau kai tangata" — Ngāpuhi of a hundred holes, a reference to the fierce independence that runs through the many hapū groupings.
If you sort into Ngāti Porou, you're the warm, grounded one who keeps everyone connected. You work hard, but you also sing while you do it.
Your strength comes from your people — "He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata" (What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people).
You lead with fairness, you value aroha, and you don't need to shout to be heard. Your mana is quiet, steady, and enduring — like Hikurangi itself. Kia mau ki tō mana motuhake — hold fast to your sovereignty.
Ngāti Kahungunu
The Connectors
Industrious, charismatic, unifying, resourceful
Ngāti Kahungunu stretches down the North Island from the Māhia Peninsula to Cape Palliser, making it the third-largest iwi with one of the longest coastlines in the country.
The ancestor Kahungunu himself was described as "handsome and hard-working" — a leader who supervised building, irrigation, carving, and canoe-making, and who formed strategic marriages that created a vast network of alliances.
That legacy lives on in the iwi's core value of kotahitanga — unity of purpose — captured in the beloved whakataukī: "Tūtira mai ngā iwi, tātau, tātau e" (Come together as one). The meaning is clear: there is unity in strength, and diversity within unity must be cherished
If you sort into Ngāti Porou, you're the warm, grounded one who keeps everyone connected. You work hard, but you also sing while you do it.
Your strength comes from your people — "He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata" (What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people).
You lead with fairness, you value aroha, and you don't need to shout to be heard. Your mana is quiet, steady, and enduring — like Hikurangi itself. Kia mau ki tō mana motuhake — hold fast to your sovereignty.
Ngāpuhi
Ngāpuhi
The Trailblazers
Independent, entrepreneurial, tenacious, bold
Ngāpuhi is the largest and most dispersed iwi in Aotearoa, and that scale carries through to its personality.
The core value here is tino rangatiratanga — self-determination and the fierce right to chart your own course. This is an iwi shaped by leaders who thought big and acted boldly: Hongi Hika, who sailed to England to advance Ngāpuhi interests on the world stage, and Hone Heke, who famously stood against the erosion of Māori sovereignty.
There's a whakataukī that captures the energy perfectly: "Ngāpuhi kohao rau kai tangata" — Ngāpuhi of a hundred holes, a reference to the fierce independence that runs through the many hapū groupings.
If you sort into Ngāpuhi, you're the type who'd rather take a calculated risk than play it safe.
You see opportunities where others see obstacles, and you're not afraid to go your own way if the old way doesn't serve you.
You value independence deeply — but not at the expense of whanaungatanga, because your bold moves are always about securing the survival and mana of your people.
You're a builder, a challenger, and a bit of a visionary. Whāia te rangatiratanga — go claim your independence.
Ngāti Porou
Ngāti Porou
The Heart Of The East
Warm-hearted, proud, unified, steadfast
Ngāti Porou is the second-largest iwi in the country, and its identity is anchored by an unshakeable sense of mana motuhake — sovereignty that comes from within, not from anyone else's permission.
The pepeha says it all: "Ko Hikurangi te maunga, Ko Waiapu te awa, Ko Ngāti Porou te iwi" — Hikurangi is the mountain, Waiapu is the river, Ngāti Porou is the tribe.
When offered the Māori kingship, the great Ariki declined with the words: "My kingship comes from my long line of ancestors. My mountain Hikurangi is not one that moves, but one that remains steadfast." That's the energy: rooted, proud, and utterly secure in its own standing.
If you sort into Ngāti Porou, you're the warm, grounded one who keeps everyone connected. You work hard, but you also sing while you do it.
Your strength comes from your people — "He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata" (What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people).
You lead with fairness, you value aroha, and you don't need to shout to be heard. Your mana is quiet, steady, and enduring — like Hikurangi itself. Kia mau ki tō mana motuhake — hold fast to your sovereignty.
