What is "waitaha"

Waitaha is an early historical Māori iwi (tribe or nation). Inhabitants of the South Island of New Zealand, they were largely absorbed via marriage and conquest first by the Kāti Mamoe and then Ngāi Tahu from the 16th century onward. Today those of Waitaha descent are represented by the Ngāi Tahu iwi.

Another iwi known as Waitaha is said to have lived in antiquity in the Horowhenua area of the lower North Island.