 The Ngāti Awa people are primarily located in towns on the Rangitaiki Plain, including Whakatāne, Kawerau, Edgecumbe, Te Teko and Matatā.Two urban hapū also exist in Auckland ("Ngāti Awa-ki-Tamaki") and Wellington ("Ngāti Awa-ki-Poneke").Ngāti Awa traces its origins to the arrival of Māori settlers on the "Mātaatua" waka (canoe).