Ngā Ariki Kaipūtahi, Ngāriki Kaiputahi or Te Iwi o Ngā Ariki Kaipūtahi is a Māoriiwi in the Mangatu area of Gisborne District, New Zealand. Its present-day members are all descended from Rawiri Tamanui. The rohe of the tribe includes the Mangatu, Manukawhitikitiki, Whatatutu and Mangaotane Blocks, the Te Rata, Mangaotane, Waipaoa and the Mangatu rivers and tributaries, the Raukumara Ranges, the Arowhana mountain, and the Motu River on the boundaries of Mangaotane.
History
Early history
Ngā Ariki Kaipūtahi is a sovereign tribe with its own lands, laws, traditions and form of government centered on an ancient pattern of Ariki and Rangatira of chiefly lineage. The origins of Ngā Ariki Kaipūtahi people claim a literal descent from the four Ariki of the Heavens: Ariki, Ariki Nui, Ariki Roa, and Ariki Tawhito. Then when the Ariki descended to earth the lineage continued down through the children of the Ariki who are the earliest inhabitants of Aotearoa, pre-dating by some 500 years the contemporary concept of 'Te Māori', the Maori people, as connected to the major waka migrations of the "Great Fleet". While there have been a few tribes descended from or recognizing the Ariki tradition, including Nga Ariki, Ngariki Rotoawe, Ngariki Po, Ngā Ariki Kaipūtahi are one of remaining active tribes that holds its Mana Motuhake as direct descendants from these original peoples of Aotearoa called by various names 'Te Ariki', 'Moriori', 'Panenehu', and 'Turehu'. The Mana Motuhaka is defined in its parts as: Mana Atua through the four Ariki; Mana Tupuna - an unbroken line of Ariki and Rangatira to the present daygeneration; Mana Whenua - undisturbed possession of the Mangatu lands for over 700 years; Mana Tangata - the present day tribal sovereign government.
Modern history
In its contemporary form, Te Iwi o Ngā Ariki Kaipūtahi consists of 51 whanau organized around a central tribal government made up of three branches: Kahui Ariki, Kahui Rangatira, and Taua, as established by a constitution on 29 January 2006. The mihi for the iwi is:
Governance
Ngā Ariki Kaiputahi Whānau Trust
Ngā Ariki Kaiputahi Whānau Trust is recognised as an iwi authority for the purposes of the Resource Management Act, and represents Ngā Ariki Kaiputahi hapu in the resource consent process. It is a whānau trust, governed by seven trustees representing six tupuna. As of 2018, the trust is chaired by Owen Lloyd and based at Te Karaka. The Crown does not necessarily recognise the iwi, or the trust's authority to act on behalf of the iwi.
