Ngāi Te Ohuake is one of the older iwi names of the Mōkai Pātea rohe and many hapū and whanau are descended from this eponymous tupuna.  Te Ohuake himself is descended from Kahungunu, one of the sons of Tamatea Pōkai Whenua by his wife Iwipupu.

Tūtemohuta – Oruamātua Whare Tupuna

Te Ohuake was the son of Rongomaipuku and his wife Hine Te Rangi who were both of Te Hika a Rongomaitara.

Te Ohuake married Nukuteaio who was a descendant of Whatumāmoa and a sister of Tūpakihi and Tūwharaukiekie and so this was one of the earliest marriages to cement the ties between the Ngāti Whatumāmoa and the incoming descendants of Tamatea.

It was Tūtemohuta, son of Te Ohuake who succeeded his Uncle Tūpakihi after he was lost at the Te Aumiti battle in the south.  From Tūtemohuta and his wife Hinemoehau are descended the hapū – Ngāti Tamakorako and Ngāti Hau and the many descendants of Punakiao including Ngāti Hinemanu and Ngāi Te Upokoiri.

The second son of Te Ohuake was Te Rangiwhakamatuku from who descend the hapū of Ngāi Te Ngāruru and Ngāti Paki.

Although references to the exploits of Te Ohuake are to be found throughout Mōkai Pātea, the rohe of Ngāi Te Ohuake is mainly to the east of the Rangitīkei River and especially centred on the Aorangi maunga and the settlement of Te Awarua.

Of the early battles of Mōkai Pātea, Tūtemohuta led the people in repelling the force of Ngāi Tamawahine of Ngāti Kahungunu after they had killed among others Tamapou, the father of Whitikaupeka.

In more recent history the battle of Potaka at Mōkai was essentially between the various descent groups and hapū of Ngāi Te Ohuake against Ngā Wairiki and elements of Whanganui.

In both these battles Ngāi Te Ohuake were successful in defending their rohe and the wider Mōkai Pātea rohe.

The major settlement of Ngāi Te Ohuake in the 1850’s was Te Awarua at Mōkai, remembered by the words in the mōteatea of Waipū Te Mōata – ‘Kei Patea au e noho ana.  Kei Te Awarua’ and the visits by the missionary Colenso.

Early sketches of Tokaimuriwaka and Te Koutu
– Two kainga of Te Rangiwhakamatuku near Te Awarua