Ngāti Rongomaiwahine

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Ngāti Rongomaiwahine is a Māori iwi (tribe) based on the Māhia Peninsula on the North Island of New Zealand. By 2013 about 4,473 people identified as Rongomaiwahine (up from 4,254 in 2006).

The people are closely linked to Ngāti Kahungunu. They descend from Rongomaiwahine, who herself came from Ruawharo, the navigator of the Tākitimu canoe, and Popoto, the commander of the Kurahaupō canoe. Rongomaiwahine is said to have had two husbands: Tamatakutai and Kahungunu. With Tamatakutai she had two daughters, Rapuaiterangi and Hinerauiri. With Kahungunu she had five children: Kahukuranui, Rongomaipapa, Tamateakota, Mahakinui, and Tauheikuri.

Historically, Rongomaiwahine people ran successful whaling stations. Today, fishing remains important, along with sheep and cattle farming.

Rongomaiwahine Iwi Trust (RIT) is the iwi’s administrative body. Te Atihau was the tribe’s traditional marae (meeting ground). The surrounding land is now farming land used as Māori freehold land, and Rocket Lab uses part of it for satellite launches. The iwi is also connected with several other marae and meeting houses on the Māhia Peninsula and nearby areas.