Ngāti Kauwhata is a Māoriiwi (tribe) located in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The iwi has ancestral ties to Tainui Waka and Maungatautari. The iwi has two main marae, Kauwhata Marae (Kai Iwi Pā) [1] & Aorangi Marae.[2]
Te Iwa tekau mā Iwa was a marae located in Awahuri on the east bank of the О̄roua River, a few chains south of the main highway between Palmerston North and Bulls.[4] The wharenui of the marae was simply known as "Te Iwa".
The marae was erected by the Ngāti Kauwhata hapū Ngāti Turoa in the early 1880s for the visit of Kiingi Tāwhiao on the 25th Of January 1883.[5] The wharenui fell into disrepair in the early 20th century, and was destroyed by the 1936 New Zealand Cyclone.[6][4]