Early Inhabitants of Heretaunga Face a Northern Incursion

This chapter presents the whakapapa and Māori history of Heretaunga and adjacent regions and examines the archaeological record for its earliest inhabitants from roughly 600 to 500 years ago. Traditional history sources are plentiful with some of high reliability. It is divided into four sections: initial human presence in the region, discussion of the original tangata whenua, the arrival of the ancestors of the iwi Ngāti Kāhungunu, and the integration of the region under the mana of the migrants. The history revolves around three particularly famous pā sites: Heipipi, Otātāra, and Hakikino. The archaeology of these sites is discussed and shown to support the traditional history. Female leaders feature prominently, demonstrating the power and effectiveness of mana wahine.