Meet the Potentials of Pūrākau

Horotiu is the guardian of the City Proper of Auckland. He is a recognised ancestor that used to care for the waterway that courses underneath Queen Street.

Hinemoana represents the ocean we see and is the protector of all the living creatures found within it.

Hinenuitepō is the guardian of the night. She represents pure blackness and can enter any space that is dark. She has an elemental connection to darkness. When a person dies, their soul travels to her via Tupu-ranga-o-te-pō before it is prepared for the next step in their lives.

Mahuika is a Māori fire deity. Generally, Mahuika is the wife of the god Auahitūroa. She is also the younger sister of Hinenuitepō – The Goddess of the Night. It was from her that Māui obtained the secret of making fire. It is believed he stole fire from her fingernails and that is how we got fire.

Matāoho is the God of volcanoes. He’s more famous brother Ruaumoko is the God of earthquakes. Together, both brothers created the 50 volcanic sites in Auckland which make it the 2city in the world with the mostolcanic sites.

Whiro resides in the underworld, and he is responsible for all types of struggles and challenges. His presence is necessary for us to appreciate growth, failure, and success. He is the reason Kāhu’s transformation into the black hawk was stalled.

The man of many cousins. He was an ancestor that was passionate about uniting people He was a paramount chief of the Ngāti Whātua Māori iwi (tribe) of Auckland. In the 1850s Te Kawau was an assessor involved with settling disputes between Māori in Auckland.

A leader of the Ngāti Whātua Māori iwi of Auckland, New Zealand. He wasn’t considered a warrior by his people and was a leading man in the movement known as Te Kotahitanga (unity of purpose), which aimed to achieve greater Māori control of Māori affairs. He sought these goals while following the Ngāti Whātua policy of allegiance to the Crown and friendship to the government.

Demigod ancestor of the Māori people. He is said to have emerged from under the ground and is believed to have arrived in Aotearoa around the same time of great immigration of the Māori people.

A Te Taoū war chief and the principal ancestor of the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei people. He was a chief in the 17^th century. He was a devout warrior and came to Auckland to complete the revenge required to balance his mauri (life essence) so that his mana could be satisfied.