Te Whakakitenga

The Whakakitenga, formerly known as the Kauhanganui,[2] is the governing council of the Waikato Tainui tribal confederation in New Zealand.

[4] It was founded by Tāwhiao after his proposal to set up a pan-Māori parliament in New Zealand to complement the colonial legislative council was denied by Auckland authorities.

[4] The parliament's members consisted of tribally appointed delegates who advised King Tāwhiao on policy and was used by him to communicate with his subjects.

The marae are spread over a large area from Te Kūiti and Cambridge in the south to Auckland in the north.

The Waikato Tainui iwi comprises 33 hapū (sub-tribes) and 65 marae (family groupings).