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Pūkaki Marae is the principle Marae of Te Akitai hapū of Te Waiohua, descendants of Hua Kaiwaka. Pūkaki Marae is acknowledged as being one of the oldest Marae in Auckland. Its origins can be traced back to the arrival of Tainui waka when Poutūkeka, son of Hoturoa, captain of the Tainui canoe first landed on the shores of the Manukau Harbour, also known as Te Mānukanukatanga a Hoturoa. Poutūkeka later settled in the Manukau area where Pūkaki Marae stands today. Its formal name is Te Pūkaki Tapu o Poutūkeka - The Sacred Spring of Poutūkeka.

Before the land wars, the main buildings were located on the southern headland where the Pūkaki and Waokauri creeks converge. Other buildings and urupā (burial ground) were on the opposite bank overlooking Pūkaki Lagoon. The estuary and creek provided the people of Pūkaki with resources, as well as access to the Manukau harbour for plying trading opportunities with extended whanau, settlers and other hapū. The lagoon's primary function was to provide shelter to canoes. Pūkaki lagoon has additional significance as one of the sacred footsteps of Mataoho (Ngā Tapuwae o Mataoho), a giant Waiohua deity whose footprints are evidenced by a series of volcanic features across Tāmaki Makaurau.

Until the 1960's Pūkaki was the centre of a thriving community of almost 200 families. The marae was demolished in1966 but rebuilt when Auckland Airport's proposed second runway was shifted. In 2004 Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu opened the present Marae.