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Story: Waikato tribes

Roadside Stories: Tūrangawaewae – a place to stand

Tūrangawaewae marae at Ngāruawāhia is the seat of the Māori King movement, which developed in the 1850s to unify Māori and protect their land. Tūrangawaewae – literally ‘a place to stand’ – was built in the 1920s under the direction of Te Puea Hērangi, granddaughter of the second Māori king.

Listen to a Roadside Story about Tūrangawaewae. Roadside Stories is a series of audio guides to places around New Zealand.

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How to cite this page

Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal, Waikato tribes – Tūrangawaewae, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/35232/roadside-stories-turangawaewae-a-place-to-stand (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal, published 5 January 2012, updated 1 March 2017.