Īhaka or Ihaka Takaanini (1800–1864) was a chief of the Te Ākitai Waiohua tribe, which occupied lands in the southern region of Auckland.

[1] Despite his positive relationship with Pākehā, often being referred to as 'old Isaac',[2] Takaanini, alongside 22 other iwi members, including his immediate family, was captured by the Crown and imprisoned at Ōtāhuhu, and later Rākino Island, during the invasion of the Waikato in 1863.

[5] Takaanini was employed by the Crown as the Keeper of Native Hostelry in 1861,[1] with responsibilities including the management of the Māori hostels in Mechanics Bay and Onehunga.

Following a gathering with Takaanini and other Te Ākitai members, rumors, likely started by local settlers, spread that the iwi were planning an uprising in response to Grey's proclamation.

[3]: 23–34  Due to these suspicions, on 16 July 1863, Takaanini and 22 other Te Ākitai members, including his wife, three of his children, and his elderly father, were arrested by Crown officials under the order of George Grey, without charge or evidence, and taken to Drury.

[9] These arrests were considered lawful due to the recent passing of the Suppression of Rebellion Act 1863, which allowed for indefinite imprisonment without trial for Māori suspected of disloyalty towards the Queen.

[13] The date of Takaanini's death is unknown, but it was reported that he died on Rākino Island in early 1864, supposedly of homesickness and a broken heart.