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Matai Aranui marae is one of three marae in the Whirinaki area, the others being Mōria and Pā Te Aroha. The whare tupuna (itself called Matai Aranui) was built in 1876 by a French Canadian, Jack Flesher, who married the sister of a local chief (descendants of this union are still in the area).  Originally designed as a community hall, it commenced use as an ancestral house in 1880s. The hapu named Ngāti Te Pou, Ngāti Parenga, Ngāti Kerewheti, Ngāti Tuapango, Ngāti Te Hikutu, Ngāti Kairewa and Ngāti Whanauwhereo all affiliate to Matai Aranui and align to the wider Ngāpuhi confederation.