Story: Kīngitanga – the Māori King movement

Whakapapa of Pōtatau Te Wherowhero

As this extensive whakapapa shows, Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, the first Māori king, could trace his descent from the major voyaging waka said to have brought the first people to New Zealand. These wide-ranging lines of descent made Pōtatau an especially suitable candidate to represent numerous iwi Māori.

Using this item

Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

Source: Pei Te Hurinui Jones, King Pōtatau: an account of the life of Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, the first Māori king. Auckland: Polynesian Society; Wellington: Huia Publishers, 2010.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

Rahui Papa and Paul Meredith, 'Kīngitanga – the Māori King movement - Origins of the Kīngitanga', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/zoomify/37841/whakapapa-of-potatau-te-wherowhero (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by Rahui Papa and Paul Meredith, published 20 Jun 2012, reviewed & revised 2 Mar 2023