Ngāi Tūhoe

Ngāi Tūhoe (Māori pronunciation: [ˈŋaːi ˈtʉːhɔɛ]), often known simply as Tūhoe, is a Māori iwi (tribe) of New Zealand. It takes its name from an ancestral figure, Tūhoe-pōtiki. Tūhoe is a Māori language word meaning 'steep' or 'high noon'. The Tūhoe people also bear the sobriquet Nga Tamariki o te Kohu ('the children of the mist'). Tūhoe traditional land is at Te Urewera (the former Te Urewera National Park) in eastern North Island, a steep, heavily-forested area which includes Lake Waikaremoana. Tūhoe traditionally relied on the forest for their needs. The iwi territory is vast and undeveloped. Tūhoe is considered one of the largest landowners in New Zealand. The territory has six main centres of population, including Ruatāhuna, Waikaremoana, Waimana Valley, Ruatoki, and Tāneatua. Maungapōhatu is the inner sanctum of Te Urewera, and is the most sacred of their ancestral mountains. The Tūhoe country had a reputation among the neighbouring tribes as a graveyard for invading forces.

Tūhoe people have a reputation for their continued strong adherence to Māori identity and for their unbroken use of the Māori language, which 62% of them speak as of 2018. The iwi population is estimated to number between 33,000 and 46,000. About 30% still live on their tribal lands; most of the rest live in towns on the fringes of Te Urewera and in the larger North Island cities. At least 5,000 live in Australia. Subtribes of the Tūhoe include Ngāti Koura, Ngāti Rongo, Ngāti Tāwhaki, Tamakaimoana, Ngāti Whare, Te Whānau Pani, Ngāti Hinekura and Patuheuheu.

The Tūhoe continue to maintain camps in Te Urewera and help run conservation programmes for endangered birds, such as the North Island brown kiwi and the North Island kōkako. Many Tūhoe return to their homelands every two years for the Te Hui Ahurei a Tūhoe (Tūhoe Festival), which features kapa haka, debates, sports competitions, and fashion shows. The event offers a valuable opportunity to maintain connections with friends and relatives.