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Maniapoto was a Māori rangatira (chieftain) of Ngāti Raukawa in the Tainui tribal confederation from the Waikato region, New Zealand, and the founding ancestor of the Ngāti Maniapoto iwi.
Initially, he based himself at Waiponga in the Mohoao-nui swamp, near modern Ōtorohanga. After the death of his father, Rereahu, he defeated his older half-brother, Te Ihinga-a-rangi, in a battle for pre-eminence. He based himself in the region of modern Te Kūiti for a time, repulsing attacks on this area by Hou-taketake and the Ngāti Taki hapū of Ngāti Tama. Then he returned to Mohoao-nui, settling at Hikurangi, from which he repulsed a large invasion by Wairangi of Ngāti Raukawa. In his old age, he lived in the Waitomo Caves and died peacefully at a meeting of the whole iwi at Pukeroa. He probably lived in the seventeenth century.
Maniapoto and Matakore both decided to settle at Waiponga on the north bank of the Waipā River a little to the east of Ōtorohanga, in the Mohoao-nui swamp. When Matakore went looking for a tree to use as the tāhuhu (ridge beam) of his house, he found a tall kahikatea at Mangawhero which he chopped down and brought to Waiponga, but Maniapoto advised him that its length meant that it was in danger of splitting and advised him to cut it shorter. Then Maniapoto went into the forest and chopped down a taller kahikatea for himself, so that he would have the larger house. Matakore's house was called Mata-keretū and Maniapoto's was called Mata-whaiora. As of 1898, the foundations of these houses were still visible.
One of the guests who came from Kāwhia for Rereahu's tangihanga (funeral) was Tū-tarawa, who was the brother of Maniapoto's mother and whose son was married to Te Ihinga-a-rangi's great-granddaughter, Hine-Whatihua. He visited Te Ihinga-a-rangi’s settlement at Ōngārahu, and Te Ihinga-a-rangi served him a meal of bird-meat, giving Tū-tarawa the worse portion (the heads), while keeping the rest for himself. Te Inhinga-a-rangi indicated that he intended to murder Maniapoto. After this, Tū-tarawa visited Maniapoto's house, Hikurangi, at Mohoao-nui, a little to the northwest. Maniapoto also served his uncle bird-meat, but gave him the better portion, so he told Maniapoto about Te Ihinga-a-rangi's intentions.
Maniapoto told Tū-tarawa to return to Te Ihinga-a-rangi and tell him that Maniapoto had decided to abandon Mohoao-nui and settle somewhere in the east. Then Maniapoto and his people left the village, travelled east for a way before circling around and hiding on the river bank to the west of the village. Thinking that the village had been abandoned, Te Ihinga-a-rangi brought a group up to settle there and was ambushed. Most of Te Ihinga-a-rangi's people were killed, but he was captured alive and brought to Maniapoto, who spat on his head, shaming Te Ihinga-a-rangi and securing his own pre-eminence, after which Te Ihinga-a-rangi went into exile.
At the time of the sweet potato harvest, some of Maniapoto’s people encountered some of Hou-taketake’s people carrying a log, which they said was going to be the tāhuhu (‘ridge beam’) for a kumara pit. But then one of the men added that the log was a rib of Maniapoto’s father Rereahu. When Maniapoto heard this he sent his men to steal the log and Hou-taketake was so angry that he led a raiding party over to Taupiri-o-te-rangi in order to attack Maniapoto.
Maniapoto happened to be having sex with his new wife Papa-rauwhare when Hou-taketake attacked and by the time he emerged, Hou-taketake was already in front of his house. Maniapoto knelt down with his taiaha spear on the ground in front of him, but Hou-taketake came forward and challenged him to single combat. Maniapoto did not respond, so Hou-taketake came up and started insulting him. Then Maniapoto threw gravel and sand in Hou-taketake’s eyes, blinding him, grabbed him and threw him on the ground. He bit him on his head, lowering his mana. Maniapoto granted the honour of killing Hou-taketake to his nephew, Tangaroa-kino. Hou-taketake’s men fled, but Maniapoto chased them down and killed them all. After this, Maniapoto returned to Mohoao-nui.
As soon as he heard about this, Maniapoto gathered a war party, which arrived the following night and secretly surrounded Mōtaki-ora, where the Ngāti Taki were now staying. At dawn, Maniapoto's younger brother, Tū-whakahekeao climbed up a rātā tree which was covered in red flowers. Because he was wearing a red cloak, he was perfectly camouflaged and was able to see that the Ngāti Taki were going about their affairs and preparing food, completely unaware of the force that had gathered. This rātā tree was still visible as of 1870.
As soon as Tū-whakahekeao reported that the Ngāti Taki had sat down to eat, Maniapoto attacked, taking the Ngāti Taki completely by surprise. They were rapidly overpowered and captured. However, Maniapoto chose to let their chieftains, Te Heru and Pōwhero, go, because the murder of Rōrā had just and because they had not killed Rōrā’s son Tūtai-mārō. After this, Maniapoto again returned to the Mohoao-nui swamp, settling on a hill called Hikurangi.
Eventually, however, an old man called Te Wana, who was out cutting kiekie in order to make an eel trap, happened upon the couple. He told them that Maniapoto supported them and that Wairangi had come looking for them. They gave him the pounamu earring, Ōrua-hinewai, which had been a gift from Maniapoto to Rangipare. When Te Wana returned to Hikurangi wearing the earring, Maniapoto recognised it and nearly killed him, but Te Wana was able to tell him the news and was then sent to bring Tū-taka-moana and Rangipare back to Hikurangi, where Maniapoto allowed them couple to marry. He said to his son, "marry your wife as utu ('repayment') for your neck", which has become proverbial.
When Wairangi heard about this he gathered a war party of nine hundred men from Ngāti Takihiku and Ngāti Whakatere, and came to attack. At Kārea-nui on the south bank of the Waipā River he burnt Ngāti Maniapoto's sweet potato storage pits. When Maniapoto's brother, Tū-whakahekeao, saw the smoke rising and despaired, Maniapoto said "Never mind, the five remain to produce food," but he responded, "Wrong! It is food that lets children be called children," so Maniapoto agreed to lead out a force of three hundred and seventy to confront Wairangi, making base near Kārea-nui at Waiponga. Wairangi's forces attacked Waiponga, but Maniapoto stayed still, leaping into action only when the enemy had breached the walls. Then he leapt up and made the first kill. The men of Ngāti Takihiku fled.
Tama-te-hura, the brother of Wairangi, and his wife Te Rongorito, Maniapoto's favourite sister, who lived at nearby Te Waka, were watching the battle from a distance. Tama-te-hura thought that his brother's side was winning and said " Āhahā! The days of the children of Maikuku-tara!" (Maikuku-tara was the mother of Tama-te-hura and Wairangi) but his wife replied "If the dust of battle moves northwards, these are the days of the sons of Maikuku-tara; if it moves south of Waipā they are the days of your in-laws." When this proved true, Tama-te-hura was so angry that he killed their child (his daughter Pare-whakaroro-uri according to Bruce Biggs or his son Huitao according to Hōri Wirihana) and ran off to Te Horanga, but Te Rongorito decided to follow him, so that her surviving child would not be considered a bastard.
As Maniapoto's forces pushed Wairangi's forces back, Maniapoto shouted out one of his most famous sayings, " Kei hewa ki Te Marae-o-hine" ("Do not desecrate Te Marae-o-hine"), meaning that his men should not kill the enemy while they remained on the north bank of the Waipā, where Te Marae-o-hine was located, but could kill any who were on the south bank. As Ngāti Maniapoto made kills they shouted out they shouted out the names of famous eel weirs, saying "Kākati-kūtehe is mine!", "Kete-onehea is mine!" and so on. Eventually, Maniapoto shouted out another famous saying, "Coward! Behold, mine! Your elder brother's is the fish of the morning!" (meaning that he had made the first kill).
This war provides the traditional foundation for the long-term animosity between Ngāti Maniapoto and Ngāti Takihiku.
The story of Maniapoto’s conflict with Hou-taketake was reported by Percy Smith in 1909, who attributes it to “old Rīhari of Mōkau and repeated by Pei Te Hurinui Jones, who also heard a version of it from Wehi-te-ringitanga of Ngāti Maniapoto, from Mangapēhi. It was also recounted by Te Naunau Hīkaka as evidence in a case before the Maori Land Court at Ōtorohanga on 15 December 1892.
The conflict with Ngāti Taki is reported by Pei Te Hurinui Jones, based on the oral account which he heard from Wehi-te-ringitana. It was also recounted by Te Naunau Hīkaka at the same court case in 1892 and by Te Matapihi at another court case on 14 December 1892.
The conflict with Ngāti Takihiku is reported by Bruce Biggs, based on an 1898 manuscript by Hari Wahanui of Ōtorohanga.
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