Sign in

Private company

Bank of Aotearoa

Historic Māori bank established at Parawera in 1886 by the King Tāwhiao

Te Peeke o Aotearoa (often translated as the Bank of Aotearoa or Bank of the North Island) was a Māori‑initiated financial institution established in 1886 at Parawera by the second Māori King, Tāwhiao. It formed part of the wider programme of political and economic autonomy pursued by the Kīngitanga in the late nineteenth century.2 It ceased to exist in 1905.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1886Founded1

See how the biggest companies compare on our leaderboards

King Tawhiao Potatau Te Wherowhero, by Gottfried Lindauer
Photo: Gottfried Lindauer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

Te Peeke o Aotearoa (often translated as the Bank of Aotearoa or Bank of the North Island) was a Māori‑initiated financial institution established in 1886 at Parawera by the second Māori King, Tāwhiao. It formed part of the wider programme of political and economic autonomy pursued by the Kīngitanga in the late nineteenth century.2

Timeline

  1. 1905Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. 1886Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3