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Become an official member of Ngāti Kearoa Ngāti Tuarā to receive more personalized communications. On a more regular basis, you’ll get updates specific to your interests, as well as exclusive hapū-only news and opportunities to engage in hapū events and initiatives.
Ngāti Kea Ngāti Tuarā is a proud hapū of Te Arawa, based in Horohoro, near Rotorua. Our vision is to strengthen our culture and community by embracing our whakapapa, reviving our traditions, and protecting our whenua for future generations. We are dedicated to maintaining our mana and rangatiratanga through environmental stewardship, the preservation of our reo (language), and the continuation of important cultural practices such as kapa haka, mahi toi, and waka skills.
At the heart of our mission is the connection between our people, our land, and our heritage. By fostering unity and support within our hapū, we are committed to ensuring that the values and aspirations of Ngāti Kea Ngāti Tuarā continue to thrive in the present and future.
Ngāti Kearoa Ngāti Tuarā is home to several marae that are integral to our cultural identity and community life.
Kearoa Marae: Located between Horohoro maunga and the Pōkaitu awa, Kearoa Marae is one of Te Arawa’s oldest meeting houses, where gatherings, hui, and cultural events take place.
Rongomaipapa Marae: Situated near Kearoa, Rongomaipapa celebrates the whakapapa links between Te Arawa and Ngāti Kahungunu, and continues to be used by whānau for community events.
Tarewa Pounamu Marae: In central Rotorua, Tarewa Pounamu Marae is used for various social services and community activities, including Māori language classes.
Each marae is a place of deep cultural significance, preserving our traditions and connecting us to our past.
In the early hours of 24 June 2022, Ahenata-May Daniels led a group of intrepid Ngāti Kearoa Ngāti Tuara members who braved a Horohoro frost to climb to the ridge on our Te Oha farm to observe Matariki. Here is her story.
For the past 3 years I had been navigating my own Matariki experiences and learning about my own taiao. Stargazing the sky that I live under and slowly understanding what it means to me.
In the early hours of Saturday morning, members of Ngāti Kearoa Ngāti Tuara assembled, with a singular purpose: to return to Patetere South. This land, woven into the very fabric of our identity, awaited our footprints once more, echoing the legacy of our tupunas. Supported by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, this journey was more than a visit—it was a journey, a collective step towards embracing and retracing the steps of our tupuna.
Hinengāwari Weavers was developed after the successful delivery of wānanga toi in 2019-2020 sponsored by Creative NZ. The wānanga were held face to face, in home and individual tutoring. Four mediums waiata, 3d art, taonga puoro & raranga were delivered to the descendants of Ngāti Kea Ngāti Tūara. Hinengāwari, one of our kaitiaki from our lands would protect and guide us through this kaupapa. The completion of this kauapapa was celebrated at an exhibition held at Flux Gallery, Pukuatua Street Rotorua.