Ngā Oho, also known as Ngā Ohomatakamokamo-o-Ohomairangi, is the name of a historical iwi (tribe) of Māori who settled in the Auckland Region. In the 17th century, Ngā Oho and two other tribes of shared heritage, Ngā Riki and Ngā Iwi, formed the Waiohua confederation of tribes.
At a later date, Ngā Oho split into three tribes: Ngā Oho based at Papakura, Ngā Riki based in South Auckland between Papakura and Ōtāhuhu/Ihumātao, and Ngā Iwi, who were based between Ihumātao and from Ōtāhuhu to the North Shore.[7] Within Ngā Oho, there were a number of hapū (sub-tribes), including Ngāti Taihaua, Ngāti Poutukeka and Ngāi Riukiuta.[8]
In the 17th century, Hua Kaiwaka, a member of the Ngati Poutūkeka hapū of Ngā Oho, unified the three tribes of Ngā Oho, Ngā Riki and Ngā Iwi.[9] The confederation began to be known as Waiohua ("The Waters of Huakaiwaka"),[10] and this unification led to one of the most prosperous times for the Tāmaki Makaurau area.[11][12] During the Waiohua confederation, Ngā Oho, Ngā Riki and Ngā Iwi continued to have distinct identities while being a part of Waiohua as a whole.[13]
The Waiohua confederation ceased being the most powerful influence in the Auckland region in the mid-18th century, after Waiohua paramount chief Kiwi Tāmaki was killed while battling Te Taoū and Ngāti Whātua warriors from south Kaipara Harbour.[14]
When Ngāti Whātua settled the Tāmaki isthmus in the mid-18th century, the name Ngā Oho was revived, as a way to describe a group of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei of shared Te Taoū/Ngāti Whātua and Waiohua heritage.[15]
^Alan J. La Roche (2011). Grey's Folly: A History of Howick, Pakuranga, Bucklands-Eastern Beaches, East Tamaki, Whitford, Beachlands and Maraetai. p. 17. ISBN978-0-473-18547-3.
^Murdoch, Graeme (1992). "Wai Karekare - 'The Bay of the Boisterous Seas'". In Northcote-Bade, James (ed.). West Auckland Remembers, Volume 2. West Auckland Historical Society. pp. 13–14. ISBN0-473-01587-0.
^ abcMurdoch, Graeme (1990). "Nga Tohu o Waitakere: the Maori Place Names of the Waitakere River Valley and its Environs; their Background History and an Explanation of their Meaning". In Northcote-Bade, James (ed.). West Auckland Remembers, Volume 1. West Auckland Historical Society. pp. 12–14. ISBN0-473-00983-8.
