It is known principally as the site of a Māori battle fought in either 1807 or 1808 between the Kaipara branches of the Ngāti Whātua, Te-Uri-o-Hau and Te Roroa iwi on one side and the Ngāpuhi iwi on the other.
Ngata is a Māori surname, most commonly found among members of the Ngāti Porou iwi.
O‘ahu Forest National Wildlife Refuge is home to at least four species of endangered pupu kani oe (O'ahu tree snails), 15 endangered plant species, and many native birds, including the O‘ahu ‘elepaio, ‘i‘iwi, pueo, and native honeycreepers.
He was drowned when the canoe overturned, and his body was eaten by the araara fish, since held sacred by the Nga Puhi and Rarawa iwi, who claim descent from Rongomai.
This includes Te Reo (the language and dialects), Tikanga (the processes and practices), Marae (the community focal point), Waahi Tapu (sites of importance) and access to whānau, Hapū and iwi.
Ngāi Tahu, the principal Māori iwi (tribe) of the southern region of New Zealand, utilised the very hard greenstone (jade) to make adzes and other implements, as well as ornaments.
The same museum is home to an early Māori carving, known as either Uenuku or Te Uenuku, which is of extreme significance both to the local Tainui Māori people and also for its archaeological value.
The penguin was named for the Māori iwi (tribe), the Waitaha, whose tribal lands included the areas the Waitaha Penguin are thought to have inhabited.
The island has special (or more precisely, undefined) legal status, as neither Auckland City Council, Auckland Regional Council or Ports of Auckland claim responsibility, though some local iwi are considered to have customary rights over it.