Pōmare I (Ngāpuhi)

Pōmare I (died 1826) was a New Zealand Māori rangatira (chief) of the Ngāti Manu hapū (subtribe) of the Ngāpuhi iwi (tribe). Formerly called Whētoi, he adopted the name of Pōmare, after the name of the king of Tahiti who had converted to Christianity. After his death he was called Pōmarenui ('Pōmare the Great') by Ngāti Manu in order to distinguish him from his nephew Whiria, who also took the name Pōmare.

The Ngāti Manu originally lived at Tautoro, south of Kaikohe, however disputes with the Ngāti Toki (Ngāti Wai) in Pōmare’s lifetime forced them to move and settle at Kororāreka, Matauwhi, Ōtūihu, Waikare and Te Kāretu on the southern shore of the Bay of Islands. Pōmare I established a pā at Matauwhi, near Kororāreka (now Russell), in what is now called Pōmare Bay.

Following the death of Pōmare I in 1826, his nephew Whiria adopted his uncle’s names, Whētoi and Pōmare, so Whiria is referred to as Pōmare II.