Sources do not provide a mythological creation narrative for Taranaki (Tuturu); instead the iwi are presented as a genealogical and historical people of the Taranaki rohe with a long‑standing Māori presence in the region. Historical material records continuity of occupation in the Taranaki area across centuries and documents the iwi's involvement in notable 19th‑century events such as the First and Second Taranaki Wars; contemporary sources record the iwi's participation in Treaty settlement processes and collective redress concerning Taranaki Maunga.
As a human iwi, Taranaki (Tuturu) does not have a supernatural physical form. Documentary sources describe demographic and institutional facts: the iwi is listed among recognised iwi (Māori Fisheries Act) with registered membership figures (Te Kāhui Māngai records population and registered members), is centred in the Taranaki region around Mount Taranaki, and participates in marae‑based and iwi political activities (for example events at Owae marae, Waitara).
Not framed as supernatural powers; the iwi's recorded capacities are historical, political and social actions: armed resistance and defence during the First and Second Taranaki Wars (including documented casualties at the defence of Waireka on 28 March 1860), collective political negotiation and Treaty settlement activity (including signing the Taranaki Maunga collective redress deed with the Crown), and participation in statutory recognition frameworks such as registration under the Māori Fisheries Act.
Weaknesses
- conditionhistorical dispossession and conflict (land loss, colonial warfare, political marginalisation)
Wards
None recorded.
Aitu (Māori)
Malevolent spirits in Māori tradition, often taking the form of plants or animals and associated with trouble-making and mischief. (Note: - Power tier should be Greater, not Lesser (Aitu being lesser gods in some cultures, but also associated with deity-level abilities) - Abilities: Add detail about their role as patrons of specific vil)
Akava'ine
Akava'ine is a Cook Islands Māori social and gender category for people assigned male at birth who live or present as women or otherwise occupy a gender-variant/transgender role. The term (Cook Islands Māori) literally means "to behave as a woman" and has both historical ethnographic mentions of gender-variant individuals in the Cook Islands and a contemporary use (since the 2000s) among Cook Islands Māori, including diaspora communities.
Aotea (Canoe)
Ancestral waka in Māori tradition, significant in the migration of the Māori people to New Zealand. (Note: - Power tier should be at least Greater (deity-level), considering Aotea is associated with significant spiritual and cultural importance to the Māori people's migration. - Abilities should include de)
Aotearoa (Canoe)
An ancestral vessel in Māori tradition, associated with the migration and settlement of New Zealand. (Note: 1. Power tier should be Ancient, not Primordial. 2. Remove "Historical significance" from sensory cues as it is a general statement rather than a specific cue. 3. Add "Its presence is often associated)
Apakura
Female figure in Māori mythology, wife of Tūhuruhuru and/or Tūwhakararo, associated with multiple generations of whānau. (Note: 1. Power tier: Given her association with multiple generations of whānau and the miraculous birth story involving Whakatau, it's likely she should be classified as a Greater entity. 2. Abilities: Add )
Arahura (Māori canoe)
Divine Māori canoe made of pounamu, associated with the Ngāi Tahu tribe and spiritual significance. (Note: * Power tier: Not specified, assume Lower or Lesser as it's associated with the tribe and not described as a deity-level being * Abilities: Remove the mention of spiritual significance and connection )
Arautauta
The Arautauta is a significant waka (canoe) in Māori tradition, playing a key role in the migration of people to New Zealand. (Note: - Power tier: Should be Primordial (as it's a significant waka in Māori tradition) - Abilities: Should mention its use for transporting people and goods as a notable aspect of its significance - Appea)
Arawa (canoe)
In Māori tradition, the Arawa is a supernatural canoe representing the ancestors' journey to New Zealand. (Note: * Power tier: Primordial (or not specified at all, as there's no indication of supernatural powers beyond its symbolic and cultural significance) * Appearance: No physical description mentioned in sou)
Atea
Atea is a primordial creator-associated being in multiple Polynesian traditions (Marquesas, Tuamotu, and Māori) closely associated with light and the ordering of the cosmos. Variants depict Atea as a self-originating giver of light, a progenitor who fathers gods and humans, or as the cosmic universe that is sex-differentiated into Heaven and Earth in one reported account.
Atua (Māori Deity)
In Māori mythology, Atua are supernatural beings believed to have created the world and all living things. They are considered rulers of the spiritual realm with powers over nature, fertility, and human destiny. (Note: 1. Power tier: Based on the abilities described (controlling nature, fertility, and human destiny), Atua likely belong to the Primordial power tier, not Greater. 2. Weaknesses: Add a specific weakness)
Atutahi (Māori tradition)
In Māori mythology, Atutahi is a celestial entity and the second brightest star in the night-time sky, considered solitary or self-centered. It serves as a navigational aid for Māori sailors, appearing as a bright star on the evening or southern horizon. (Note: - Power tier: Primordial (due to its status as a celestial entity in Māori mythology) - Abilities: Add ability of guidance, specifically for navigation, based on source material - Weaknesses: List is )
Auahitūroa
Auahitūroa is a Māori deity described in the cited sources as the personification of comets and as the origin of fire; he is named as a son of Tama-nui-te-rā (the sun), consort of the fire goddess Mahuika, and father of the five Ngā Mānawa.
Community Record
- [1]Taranaki (iwi). Wikipedia: Taranaki (iwi) — details on iwi identity, participation in the First and Second Taranaki Wars and casualties at Waireka (28 March 1860).wiki
- [2]TKM | Iwi | Taranaki Iwi | Te Kahui Mangai. Te Kāhui Māngai (TKM) entry for Taranaki Iwi — lists recognised iwi status, population and registered members.other
- [3]Ngā Iwi o Taranaki and the Crown sign Taranaki Maunga collective redress deed. Beehive.govt.nz press release, 1 September 2023 — records signing of Te Ruruku Pūtakerongo at Owae marae, Waitara.other
- [4]Taranaki. Wikipedia: Taranaki region — notes long Māori presence in the region and lists local iwi including Taranaki, Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Ruanui, Te Āti Awa, Ngā Rauru, Ngāruahinerangi and Ngāti Tama.wiki
- [5]Hui gives Crown the message. Converge article documenting a hui in Waitara where Taranaki Māori rejected government seabed proposals — example of political mobilisation through hui.other
- [6]Green Party congratulates Taranaki iwi on settlements. Green Party statement acknowledging settlement activity involving Taranaki iwi.other