There are two stories of where the name Ngāti Hau comes from. One is that it comes from Haupipi, who arrived in New Zealand on the Aotea canoe, after his first canoe, Kurahaupō, was wrecked. The other is that it is derived from Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi, another name for the Whanganui Māori.[2]