There are many names and stories about how Tamaki got its name. The name Tamaki Makaurau aptly describes Tamaki the place desired by many because of its rich resources and accessibility. This is evident even today, with Tamaki being the biggest city in New Zealand.

Tamaki is an isthmus, a strip of land located between two bodies of water, the Waitemata and Manukau. Another name associated with Tamaki signifies the region’s sought-after fisheries:

Tamaki kainga ika me nga wheua katoa
Tamaki where the fish are so succulent you can eat them, bones and all!

Fishing was one of the most important food sources since it was available in abundance and all year round. Another name for Tamaki is:

Tamaki herenga waka
Tamaki - the resting place of many waka

Most waka arriving from Hawaiiki have passed or stayed for a time at Tamaki. Ancestors arriving from the Pacific knew about Tamaki and the short portage at Otahuhu before they came they knew that many people had already made Tamaki their home and married into the earlier arrivals or continued their journey’s such as Tainui did at Kawhia.

The economic life of Ngati Whatua depended on foods from the seas, from the forests, particularly Waitakere, and on cultivated foods. In its ancient history, people of many tribes including Te Arawa, Ngati Awa, Hauraki, Waikato and Ngati Whatua ancestors lived in Tamaki at one time or another. The tribes of Tamaki had extended periods of peace that led to the creation of great wealth (in Maori terms) Te Pai me te whai rawa o Tamaki! Because Tamaki was desired by many it meant the people and leaders of Tamaki have been good diplomats and good at forming alliances with neighbouring tribes.