Ngāti Hine is descended from a female ancestor, Hineamaru, a great granddaughter of Rāhiri who settled in the Waiomio Valley, near Kawakawa.[2] The prominent leader in the early years of European contact was Te Ruki Kawiti (1770s–1854).
Ngāti Hine sought to withdraw from Te Runanga-a-Iwi o Ngapuhi charitable trust in 2010, without withdrawing from Ngāpuhi.[3]
Hapū and marae
Marae
The marae (communal places) of Ngāti Hine include:
Horomanga marae in Moerewa
Eparaima Makapi meeting house in Kaikou
Kawiti marae and Te Tawai Riri Maihi Kawiti meeting house in Waiomio
Matawaia marae and Rangimarie meeting house in Matawaia
Maungārongo marae and Maungārongo meeting house in Moerewa
Miria marae and Te Rapunga meeting house in Waiomio
Mohinui marae and Hohourongo meeting house in Waiomio
Mōtatau marae and Manu Koroki meeting house in Mōtatau
Ōtiria marae and Tūmatauenga meeting house in Ōtiria
Parakao marae and Te Aroha meeting house in Parakao
The hapū (sub-tribes) of the Ngāti Hine rohe (tribal area) include:
Ngāti Kahu o Torongare, based at Mohinui marae and Hohourongo meeting house in Waiomio
Ngāti Kōpaki, based at Ōtiria marae and Tūmatauenga meeting house in Ōtiria
Ngāti Ngāherehere, based at Matawaia marae and Rangimarie meeting house in Matawaia
Ngāti Te Ara, based at Ōtiria marae and Tūmatauenga meeting house in Ōtiria
Ngāti Te Tārawa, based at Mōtatau marae and Manu Koroki meeting house in Mōtatau
Te Kau i Mua, based at Matawaia marae and Rangimarie meeting house in Matawaia
Te Orewai, based at Tau Henare marae in Pīpīwai[1]
Governance
Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Hine represents the iwi in resource consent consultation under the Resource Management Act, but that does not imply formal Crown recognition of the iwi, or the trust's authority to act on behalf of the iwi. Under the Māori Fisheries Act, if Ngāti Hine correctly withdraws from the joint mandated iwi organisation of Ngāpuhi, it will also be recognised as an iwi under that Act. The charitable trust is governed by a tribal parliament, Te Mara a Hineamaru, which is made up of three representatives from 13 marae and based in Kawakawa.[1]