[1] The iwi was formed as one of two divisions (aside from Muaūpoko) of the expedition team led by Whātonga, a chief from the Māhia Peninsula and father of Tara-Ika a Nohu of Te Whanganui-a-Tara fame.

Its marae (Tua Mātene) and wharenui (Te Huataki) are in Grovetown, just north of Blenheim.

However, its rohe also includes the city of Nelson, and the towns of Tākaka, Motueka, Saint Arnaud and Picton.

Rangitāne o Wairau Settlement Trust governs the iwi's Treaty of Waitangi settlement under the Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō, Ngāti Kuia, and Rangitāne o Wairau Claims Settlement Act, and represents the iwi in resource consent consultation under the Resource Management Act 1991.

This rohe is centred on the town of Dannevirke, where there are three Rangitāne Marae, Mākirikiri, Kaitoki, and Whiti-te-rā.