In the oral-history framework cited by the sources, Tereanini is one of the named voyaging waka employed in the migrations from Hawaiki that settled Aotearoa. The cited accounts state that Tereanini was captained by Rongomaituaho, who followed his father Paikea — a key ancestor of Ngāti Porou — from Hawaiki. In that corpus of tradition, Tereanini functions as an ancestral vessel through which whakapapa and tribal identity for groups such as Ngāti Porou are traced.
The provided sources identify Tereanini only as an "ocean-going, voyaging canoe" and do not supply any further physical description. No details about size, carving, rigging, waka construction, or visual ornamentation specific to Tereanini are recorded in the cited material.
The sources do not attribute supernatural powers to Tereanini. Descriptively, its role in the traditions cited is as a seafaring craft that carried people across the ocean during migration narratives. Culturally, Tereanini functions as an anchor for whakapapa, tribal identity, and claims to ancestry and land among iwi such as Ngāti Porou; these are social and genealogical roles rather than magical abilities in the provided material.
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]Tereanini — Wikipedia. "Tereanini was one of the great ocean-going, voyaging canoes that was used in the migrations that settled New Zealand in Māori tradition."; "Ngāti Porou traces its heritage back to Tereanini and a number of other waka."; "According to oral history, it was captained by Rongomaituaho, who had followed his father Paikea (a key ancestor of Ngāti Porou) from Hawaiki."wiki
- [2]Tereanini — Wikidata. Wikidata entry for Tereanini (identifier Q115907520) referencing the named waka in Māori tradition.wiki
- [3]Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti — Wikipedia. Contextual source listing regional iwi and hapū in which waka affiliations such as Tereanini occur within Māori social landscape.wiki
- [4]Hinemaurea ki Mangatuna — Māori Maps. Marae listing showing local tribal landscape and affiliations where waka names (including Tereanini in linked materials) appear as markers of identity.other
- [5]Funding Decisions Waiata Takitahi - November 2025 | NZ On Air. Contemporary usage of waka names including Tereanini in modern institutional and cultural contexts.other
- [6]Tauranga Girls' College - The School of Choice (student leaders 2025). Example of modern listing of waka names in institutional identity materials where Tereanini appears among other waka names.other
- [7]Ki Tua Season 2 — Te Rawhitiroa Bosch. Radio/ethnographic material contextualizing waka names and iwi histories in Māori oral tradition.other