Waihao

Iwi
Iwi

Kāti Mamoe

Ngāti Tahu

Te Rūnanga o Waihao

Waitaha
Waka
Waka

Araiteuru

Takitimu

Uruao
District

Te Waipounamu

Waihao marae is located between Oamaru and Timaru, in the township of Morven. Waihao belongs to Waitaha, Kāti Mamoe and Ngāi Tahu. Waihao connects ancestrally to the waka Uruao, Araiteuru and Takitimu, and the awa Waihao.

The name Waihao refers to an important food resource obtained from the river that has its beginnings in the upland country behind the hills of Te Tari Te Kaumira. The hao eel, the life stage of the short-fin eel is a delicacy to families who gather mahinga kai from the Wainono Lagoon and the Waihao River (the kete of local Māori).