Rangitāne
Manawatū, Horowhenua, Wairarapa and Marlborough.
A screenshot showing some Rangitāne regions from the Te Ika-a-Māui map, the Land and its People. Retrieved from the Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand website, in 2025]
Stretching from Manawatū and Horowhenua in the lower North Island, across to Wairarapa, and reaching south to Marlborough and Wairau in South Island, lies the region of Rangitāne.
This vast area reflects the journeys and settlement of the descendants of Rangitāne. With many neighbouring iwi, the language of Rangitāne embodies a rich diversity, shaped by its geographical spread and the relationships maintained across generations.
Wiremu Kingi Te Awe Awe (Billy Larkins): Landmarks
John Cleland Photo Studio Ltd. (1970). Wiremu Kingi Te Awe Awe, [Photograph]. 2008P_Tw1-10_TWH_1908, Manawatū Heritage.
Iwi: Rangitāne, Ngāti Raukawa
Wiremu Te Aweawe was a paramount chief of Rangitāne, Ngāti Mutuahi and Ngāti Pakapaka in the Manawatū region. He served as a leading spokesperson for key issues and initiatives that were important to his people during his time. Known also by the name Billy Larkins, he was a well-known dance band leader and musician.
He was instrumental in the opening of the Aotea Tua-Toru meeting house in 1967, where he had the honour of welcoming guests, including several dignitaries and the Prime Minister, Keith Holyoake.
Old names
Billy Larkins explains that the name Rangitāne is short for Tānenui-a-Rangi. He mentions ‘The Square’ in the central city of Palmerston North as being Te Marae o Hine – the home of Rākaumauī and later on Te Peeti Te Aweawe.
Te Hika-a-Pāpāuma in Te Wairarapa was a name that had been lost at the time of this interview.
Areas of significance
Fitzherbert Avenue was known as Te Hokowhitu-a-Tū. Pākehā pronounced it as ‘Hor-core-wheat’. From there to Te Āpiti (the Manawatū Gorge) all the way to Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua,Tahoraiti, and Tanewaka were the areas settled by the hapū of Ngāti Hineaute and Ngāti Hāmua.
Words and phrases unique to this region heard in the excerpts:
● ingoa ake / original name
● kohatu / rock
● patupaiarehe / fairy people / Pākehā
● pārae / level land
● he ahakoa / although, despite
● taha katau / right hand side
● ‘Hor-core-wheat’ / Pākehā pronunciation of the Hokowhitu-a-Tū road (Fitzherbert Avenue)
● e mōhiotia ana i mua / known in the past as
Loanwords (words adopted from other languages)
● Te Koea / The Square
● Tanewaka / Dannevirke
● tiriti / street
● Pāmutana / Palmerston North