Rongo - Rangatira

Choosing Your Taonga
Each of our koikoi is individually numbered — no two are ever the same. We believe it is not just you who chooses the taonga — the taonga chooses you.

About our Rangatira rākau
The Rangatira koikoi is the tallest in our whānau, crafted at 145cm for whānau 6ft and above. It represents the culmination of the progression — from Pōtiki to Teina, to Tuakana — each stage preparing you for this final step.

Features
Wood type: Tawhai
Length: 145cm x 25mm diameter
Binding: White semi-waxed cord
Feathers: Light Blue Schlappen and White Marabou Strung Feathers 
Finish: Beeswax natural finish

Who is Rongo?
Rongo is the atua of peace, agriculture, and cultivation. Gentle and benevolent, he is linked with prosperity, growth, and the well-being of people. Often shown with a wooden staff or hoe, Rongo symbolises the nurturing of life and the balance needed to help it flourish.

Significance for Rangatira
The Rangatira represents the harvest of peace and prosperity. It calls you to embody the balance Rongo brings — strong yet gentle, disciplined yet compassionate. Like the bountiful harvest that feeds the whole iwi, this taonga is about leadership that sustains not just yourself, but the entire whānau.

What is a koikoi?
Traditionally, the koikoi was a long spear sharpened on both ends, used with a two-handed grip to strike and parry.

At Tekotiri, each koikoi carries its own mauri, reminding us that every journey is unique. More than rākau, they are pathways of connection, guiding whānau back to their whakapapa and forward into their own journey. 

Continue the journey
Explore our guided mau rākau tutorials with Caleb and Jackie Kutia on YouTube, and walk further with us in this kaupapa.

Ngā mihi nui,
Caleb & Jackie Kutia
Founders of Tekotiri Limited