Ngāti Whātua have been present in the Kaipara Harbour since the arrival of the Māhuhu-ki-te-rangi migratory waka, gradually moving towards the north.

[4][5] Within this definition, there are five associated hapū and five marae: The rohe of Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara and area of interest covers 148,265 ha (366,370 acres) of the Auckland Region.

[24][22] During the Musket Wars in the early 19th century, Ngāti Whātua of the Kaipara Harbour had conflict with Ngāpuhi and other northern tribes.

Following the battle of Te Ika a Ranganui at Kaiwaka, Ngāti Whātua fled the area except for a small contingent who remained for ahi kā (visible land occupation).

[5] After the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840, Ngāti Whātua operated coastal trading vessels, supplying goods to early European settlers at Auckland from the Kaipara Harbour area.

[14] In the hope that European settlements would develop and stimulate the economy, Ngāti Whātua gifted large areas of the southern Kaipara Harbour to the Crown between 1853 and 1865.

[5] Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara were a major party involved in the court case New Zealand Maori Council v Attorney-General (1987), in part due to concerns that government-owned lands such as the Woodhill Forest would be transferred to state-owned enterprises and no longer be available resources for Waitangi Tribunal settlements.