According to oral traditions, ancient Moriori used to travel to Rangatira by canoe to capture muttonbirds.

However, there is no material evidence of those expeditions, such as dendroglyphs (tree carvings) or petroglyphs (rock art).

[citation needed] European farmers ran sheep, goats and cattle on Rangatira until the 1960s when the last of these were removed.

[1][2]Rangatira is host to several rare and endemic species of birds and plants, and is a sanctuary for endangered invertebrates such as the giant stick insect, coxella weevil, the flightless rove beetle Creophilus rekohuensis, and the Pitt Island longhorn beetle.

[4] Rangatira is most famous for being the habitat for the endangered black robin, rescued from near extinction by a dedicated team led by Don Merton, who used foster parent birds to raise the chicks of black robin.